An Israeli army raiding party killed about 10 Arab terrorists in a strike into south Lebanon last night and returned safely to its base. An army spokesman said the target was a two-storied building in El-Kfour village about eight miles inside Lebanon. It had served as the forward base for the Iraqi-backed Arab Liberation Front terrorists who killed three Israelis and wounded 16 persons in an attack on Misgav Am last April.
Chief of Staff Gen. Rafael Eitan said after the raid that it had brought matters “full-circle. Our account with those who raided Misgav Am is now closed.” Deputy Defense Minister Mordechai Zipori said last night’s attack was part of Israel’s ongoing policy of preventive strikes against terrorists to keep them off balance. He promised that this policy would continue.
The army has pointed out that since the system of pre-emptive strikes was instituted after the Misgav Am tragedy, no Israelis had been killed inside Israel by terrorists coming from Lebanon. It noted that President Elias Sarkis of Lebanon complained to the Islamic summit conference in Saudi Arabis last month that the continued Palestinian presence in his country was a cause of friction since Lebanon was the only Arab country from which terrorists attacked Israel.
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