Defense Minister Shimon Peres who assumed the duties of Premier last Friday, has listed three situations that, he said would trigger Israeli intervention in Lebanon. Addressing an election campaign meeting in Ashkelon, Peres said the situations were:
If Syrian forces crossed the “Red Line”; if Palestinian terrorists advanced close to the Israeli border with Lebanon; and if the Palestinians attacked Christian villages in southern Lebanon “whose fate is a matter of concern to us.” Peres said the Syrians knew where the “Red Line” is located. It has never been officially identified by Israel but is believed to be the Litani River. The “Red Line” has also been defined as any deployment of foreign Arab forces in Lebanon that posed a threat to Israel’s security.
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