Quiet prevailed on the Israel-Syrian border today, following new fighting that erupted again last night, in the Lake Tiberias area. Jet fighters of the two countries fought for the second time in two days. Syrian machinegun fire was aimed again at Israeli settlements in the area.
Last night’s encounters were the fourth and fifth clashes since Israel mounted a strong reprisal raid last Saturday on Syrian positions which had been shelling Israeli fishing boats and police launches sporadically since February I. Israeli officials said several houses in the Mishmar Hayarden settlement were struck in the 15-minute machinegun attack last night but no casualties were reported. Israel filed a fresh complaint with the Syrian-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission.
The Israeli sources dismissed a Syrian report that one Israeli jet was hit and crashed in flames last night after returning to Israeli territory. The Syrians also claimed a second Israeli jet was damaged. The Israeli spokesman asserted that Syrian planes crossed the frontier for the second day in a row and were again driven back by Israeli jets.
In Damascus, it was reported here, Premier Maaruf Dwalibi told the Syrian Parliament that Israel had mobilized some of its reserves and that Syria had to be prepared to repel a new attack. He said the Syrian army and government were taking all necessary measures to deal with the alleged threat. There were authentic reports that Syria has deployed a large part of its army on the Israeli border, the Syrian forces being equipped with the most modern Russian weapons.
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