Jordanian artillery and mortars heavily shelled Ashdod Yaacov in the northern Beisan Valley today as Israeli Air Force jets smashed targets inside Jordan. A military spokesman said all the planes returned safely to their bases.
An artillery duel developed in the vicinity of the Abdallah bridge where Jordanian 105 mm. field guns shelled Israeli positions. The fire was returned. No casualties were reported on the Israeli side. The sorties by Israeli jets lasted 30 minutes. The targets were not announced.
Ashdod Yaacov was hit by 25 pounders and mortar shells which damaged several buildings and electric power lines but caused no casualties. Israeli guns returned the fire.
ISRAELI OFFICER SHOOTS IT OUT, WESTERN STYLE, WITH TERRORISTS IN GAZA STREET
A gun-battle, Western style, was waged in the streets of Gaza yesterday when an Israel Army major shot it out with a gang of terrorists after a hand grenade was hurled at a local cafe. When the smoke cleared, one terrorist was dead and another wounded. The major himself was wounded and two Israeli soldiers were slightly injured by the grenade blast. All were hospitalized.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when terrorists threw two grenades at a group of Israeli soldiers outside the Abu Azziz cafe. The cafe is on Gaza’s main street, facing the civil administrative offices of the military government. The Israeli major, who was not identified, came on the scene accidentally. He pulled out his pistol and opened fire on the terrorists who were concealed in an alley. The shooting continued until both sides ran out of ammunition. By then, other Israeli soldiers arrived and opened fire on the fleeing terrorists. The dead Arab was identified as Mahdi Mustaffa Hassan. His wounded companion was taken to a hospital.
In other action today, a border police patrol was attacked in the Ashdod Yaacov area of the northern Beisan Valley. The police returned the fire and suffered no casualties. Three Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded in an exchange of artillery and small arms fire with Egyptian forces across the Suez Canal last night.
East Jerusalem police investigating underground terrorist cells there discovered a hidden cache of small arms, hand grenades and explosives. Twenty Arabs have been detained for questioning.
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