Palestinians Shell Christian Enclave 4 Dead, 4 Wounded

The Christian enclave in south Lebanon came under heavy shelling by Palestinian terrorists today. A five-hour artillery duel left four dead and four wounded in the Christian village of Dier Memes on the slopes below the Beaufort Castle terrorist stronghold. The Christian militia returned the fire. At the peak of the battle, the terrorists blasted Dier Memes with artillery, mortars and machineguns and fired on ambulances attempting to evacuate casualties.

Armored vehicles finally brought the wounded to the “open fence” on the Israeli border from where they were flown by helicopter to a hospital. Israeli sources believe the sudden escalation of violence in south Lebanon is part of a Syrian plan to precipitate the resumption of the civil war in Lebanon and involve Israel in it. The Israelis relate the new fighting to current Syrian troop movements in Lebanon and their apparent redeployment to positions in the eastern part of the country.

UNCLEAR ABOUT SYRIAN MOVEMENTS

Israeli military intelligence is aware of these movements but the reasons for them are still unclear and Israel therefore has put its forces on the alert and is prepared for any contingency. The Syrians are not planning to attack Israel but would like to draw it into the Moslem-Christian strife, Israeli circles believe. Renewed attacks on the Christians would test Israel’s pledge, voiced by Premier Menachem Begin last week, to aid the Christians not only in south Lebanon but in the north as well.

According to the Israelis, the involvement of Israeli forces in Lebanon would enable the Soviet Union, Syria’s chief military supplier, to accuse Israel of intervening in the internal affairs of another country and thereby divert attention from its own intervention in Afghanistan. In view of this possibility, Israel has muted its public statements about Syrian troop movements.