Israeli farmers carried on their cultivation work today in fields near the settlement of Tel Katzir, which had come under heavy Syrian fire during last Friday’s long battle that followed Syrian efforts to prevent cultivation in a number of Israeli border areas.
Work was under way today in two separate fields used for a long time by the settlers of Tel Katzir, and there was no interruption by the Syrians, many of whose frontier posts had been knocked out by the defense actions of the Israeli air force.
Work was also under way today to repair the heavy damages — estimated at millions of pounds — caused by Syrian artillery in a number of Israel’s border settlements along the Syrian frontier. Teams of electricians, telephone repairmen and construction workers were busy all day today cleaning up the debris and repairing doors, windows and smashed walls.
One of the settlements that suffered most destruction was Kibbutz Gadot, where every window in every building in the settlement had been smashed. Nearly 1, 800 pounds of glass had been replaced at Gadot today by the Israeli crews at work in liquidating the aftermath of the battle.
Meanwhile, it was learned here today that Israel has decided to take tough measures against the penetration of Israeli pasture grounds by Syrian shepherds who have been bringing their flocks into Israeli territory. About 800 such penetrations have been recorded by Israel in the last few months.
An Israeli army officer killed in last Friday’s severe border altercation with Syria, Second Lieutenant Yisrael Gelberson, was buried with military honors in Haifa today. He was one of the two Israeli casualties in that frontier battle, and died in a hospital here after being wounded while on duty. The burial rites were conducted by Brig. Shlomo Goren, chief chaplain of the Israeli armed forces. Lt. Gelberson left his widowed mother and a 14-year-old sister.
Colonel Mordechai Hod, chief of Israel’s air force as of last Friday, when Israeli planes shot down six Soviet-made MIG-21 jet fighters flown by the Syrians, was raised today to the rank of Brigadier-General, The air force chief, born in Dagania, had been slated for promotion next month. However, he was given the higher rank today “in recognition of the excellent performance by the air force.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
