Mideast War Scare Abates; Tension Remains High; Israeli Forces on the Alert on Syrian. Sinai Fronts

The worst war scare in the Middle East since the Yom Kippur War appeared to have abated today but tension remains high and Israeli forces are on the alert on both the Sinai and Syrian fronts. The threat of an imminent war was eased last night after, urgent representations by the United States elicited assurances from Cairo and Damascus that they intend to adhere to the disengagement agreements. Israel also gave assurances that it planned no pre-emptive strike.

The Cabinet confirmed today that there was “a relaxation of tension” but that “there is a continued need for alertness and vigilance to watch Syrian intentions.” The statement was is-sued after a three-hour meeting at which the ministers were briefed on the situation by Defense Minister Shimon Peres and Chief of Staff Gen. Mordechai Gur. Foreign Minister Yigal Allon summed up political developments of the last two days. Peres and Gen. Rafael Vardi, coordinator of activities in the administered territories, reported on the unrest on the West Bank which was attributed to Yasir Arafat’s UN appearance. (See separate story.) The Arafat speech will be the subject of debate in the Knesset this week.

For 48 hours, the world was braced for a new explosion in the Middle East. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger announced in Washington, on the eve of his departure with President Ford on a visit to the Far East, that the U.S. was investigating on “an urgent basis” reports of threats of an “imminent” war in the Mideast, and was cautioning all parties to a possible conflict including the Soviet Union, to exercise restraint. (See separate story.)

At the United Nations, Secretary General Kurt Waldheim expressed concern over the worsening Middle. East situation and met with Arab. Israeli and Soviet delegates: UN forces on the Golan Heights reported stepped-up military activity on both sides of the disengagement lines yesterday. This morning, however, a UN officer reported that the situation was visibly relaxed.

BASIS FOR WAR TENSION

The sudden escalation over the weekend developed out of the convergence of several developments pointing to a new outbreak of hostilities. One factor was the mounting belligerence of statements emanating from Arab capitals in support of the rigid, maximalist stand taken by Arafat in his address to the UN General Assembly last Wednesday. Another was the staging of large-scale military exercises by the Syrian army on the northern front, reminding Israelis that it was just such exercises that immediately preceded the Yom Kippur War.

At the same time, Israeli intelligence reports indicated that at least 20 Soviet merchant ships were unloading large cargoes of war equipment at the Syrian port of Latakia. The Syrians, for their part, continued to hint that they might oppose renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observation Force, (UNDOF) which expires Nov. 30. Premier Yitzhak Rabin made it clear in a statement Friday that Israel regards the UN force as part and parcel of the disengagement agreements.

The Syrians were reportedly fomenting unrest on the West Bank which has been the scene of pro-PLO demonstrations since Arafat’s speech. (See separate story.) The deterioration culminated in reports over the week-end, confirmed today, that Israel had mobilized a third of its reserves.

APPROPRIATE. NECESSARY STEPS TAKEN

Peres described the Israeli moves as “carefully thought out and appropriate precautionary steps.” He observed that the Arabs may have mistaken the present economic and political difficulties faced by Israel as a sign of weakness. Over the weekend, the Defense Minister visited Israeli forces deployed on both the Syrian and Egyptian fronts, accompanied by Gur. Peres reported on radio later that they were impressed by the state of preparedness and the spirit of the Israeli troops.

Nevertheless, Israel informed Washington of the dangerous situation that was building up. The Egyptians were reportedly calling up some reserve units and making military preparations in their zone on the east bank of the Suez Canal. But Israeli sources conceded that up to now there had been no overt disengagement violations by the Egyptians.

The situation on the Syrian front, however, is another matter. Israel has already complained against the introduction of heavy mortars and the emplacement of tanks in the Syrian limited forces zone. Whether or not this constitutes a violation remains a matter of dispute between Israel and Syria, but so far no further violations have been reported. Despite the tension, the Golan Heights remained open to civilian traffic Saturday. Busloads of tourists roamed the Heights, taking snapshots. Life in the various settlements followed the usual routine undisturbed.