The Washington correspondent of the Daily Telegraph asserted today that the first deliveries of 50 supersonic F-4 Phantom jets to Israel will start next month. An agreement to sell the planes to Israel was reached with U. S. authorities early this year.
According to Richard Beeson, Israel is pressing the Nixon administration to sell it more than 100 additional military planes including about 80 sub-sonic Skyhawk fighter-bombers and 25 more Phantoms. This pressure was expected to build up until Sept. 25, the date Premier Golda Meir is due in Washington for talks with President Nixon. Mr. Beeson said Israel’s request for more planes reflected the increasing number of air battles with the Arabs in recent weeks and the growing use of Israeli planes in reprisal raids on Arab commando bases and artillery positions.
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