Mopping-up Operations Continue

Israeli forces, having achieved their objectives in south Lebanon with the occupation of all terrorist strongholds along the 100-kilometer front, were still encountering packets of resistance today as mopping-up operations continued. Heavy fighting was reported from the Bint Jibal sector this morning.

A long-range terrorist artillery barrage began at about noon. Israeli forces returned the fire but because of the shelling a press tour of the security belt was called off and all roads into south Lebanon were closed to non-military traffic.

Four Katyusha rockets were fired at villages in Upper Galilee where the residents took to bomb shelters. Katyusha rockets and mortar shells struck the Lebanese Christian village of Marj Ayoun north of Metullah. The rocket and artillery attacks came from terrorist forces that had fled to the north yesterday as Israeli columns advanced. Israeli troops were digging in all along the line. The movement of tanks and trucks was hampered by rain and mud.

LEBANESE CHRISTIANS ELATED OVER EVENTS

Meanwhile, the Maronite Christian community in south Lebanon is elated over the events of the past 24 hours. Subject to attacks during the past two years by numerically superior, heavily armed Palestinian Moslems and terrorists, and forced to live in scattered enclaves, they greeted Israeli forces as liberators.

The enclaves have all been joined into one security zone as a result of yesterday’s operation in South Lebanon. The terrorist rockets and mortars have been silenced and Christians can now live a normal life and travel freely between their villages. It was small wonder then that they opened their hearts and homes to Israeli soldiers.

Yesterday, Premier Menachem Begin and Defense Minister Ezer Weizman toured the front line in south Lebanon and visited the Christian village of Naqura which had been a terrorist base. They also visited the Christian village of Alma A-Sha’eb which recently had been under siege by terrorists.

The Chabad Hasidim showed up in south Lebanon today in their own version of a “tank”–a pick-up truck loaded with presents for the soldiers. They distributed tfilin to the troops which the observant ones donned for morning prayers.

No contact was made with Syrian forces at any time during the Israeli operation although several terrorists taken prisoner were said to be members of the Syrian-backed Al Saiqa group. In addition to taking prisoners, Israeli soldiers seized large quantities of arms and ammunition, mainly Russian-made but including weapons manufactured by the U.S., France, Japan, China, Britain and Bulgaria.

DISTURBANCES ON THE WEST BANK

Meanwhile, Israeli security forces on the West Bank and East Jerusalem dealt with a series of disturbances, mainly by high school students, protesting the incursion into Lebanon. Police and students clashed in East Jerusalem. Two youngsters were arrested. High school students in Nablus and Ramallah refused to attend classes and tried to demonstrate but their teachers persuaded them to remain inside the school buildings.

Demonstrations erupted in several places after school hours. Passing vehicles were stoned on the main road in Ramallah. A police van drove some of the youths back to their homes without the need to use force. Disorders were also reported from Jenin, Tulkarem and Halhoul. There was no trouble in Gaza where Arab workers returned to their jobs in Israel today after remaining at home yesterday. But most West Bank workers did not show up this morning, creating difficulties in industry and agriculture.

In Israel, all leaves were cancelled as reinforced police patrolled the streets and shoreline on the alert for possible retaliation by terrorists for the Lebanese operation. Police called on the public to be on the alert for suspicious-looking parcels or any movements that might arouse suspicion.