Lebanon has returned to France the 14 Mirage jets it had purchased from the Dassault plant 18 months ago. It was learned here that Lebanon asked France to take them back and reimburse the money they paid for the jets. It was understood that the French Government will not reimburse Lebanon but supply Lebanon with other arms better suited for its purpose. It was also learned from reliable circles that Lebanon asked France to take back the aircraft after it had been a target of increased Egyptian and Syrian pressure asking the Beirut government to make available to Egyptian and Syrian air forces the Mirages for training and study. Lebanon had resisted for some time and finally asked France to take the ultimate decision on this subject.
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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.