Israeli and Egyptian forces exchanged fire for several hours on the east bank of the Suez Canal today and Israeli fire halted an Egyptian attempt to plant mines this evening, a military spokesman reported. Today’s incidents involved the Egyptian Second Army which occupies the east bank of the canal from a point south of Ismailia in the Bitter Lakes region to the mouth of the canal on the Mediterranean.
The shooting started when tank supported infantry units of the Second Army attempted to occupy new positions near El Baleh, south of Kantara early this morning. Israeli forces opened fire and the exchange lasted until noon when the Egyptians retreated. The mining attempt was carried out in a stretch of no-man’s land separating Israeli positions from those of the Egyptians. The encircled Third Army was relatively quiet today. It directed some fire at Israeli planes flying over the area but scored no hits. Seventeen soldiers of the Third Army surrendered today to Israel.
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