The U.S. Navy’s exercise of the right of free passage in the Gulf of Sidra was hailed by Israel Tuesday as the correct way to deal with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. American and Libyan forces clashed in the disputed waters Monday and again on Tuesday.
Premier Shimon Peres declared in an official statement Tuesday that it was the right of the U.S. to defend maritime routes. Libya claims the entire gulf is its territorial waters. The U.S. and virtually every other country recognize only the 12-mile limit.
Peres denounced Libya as the spearhead of international terrorism, a source of violence and a threat to its neighbors. Only action such as that initiated by the U.S. can cope with such behavior, he said.
U.S. ACTION TERMED SELF-DEFENSE
The Foreign Ministry described the American challenge to Libya as an act of self-defense. Political sources in Jerusalem said they were encouraged by the American approach. According to Zeev Schiff, a respected Israeli military analyst, the key question in the Gulf of Sidra action is the degree of Soviet involvement there.
Schiff noted Tuesday that Soviet experts probably were present at the SA-5 missile sites in Libya when missiles were fired at Navy aircraft over the Gulf. “It is hard to assume that the firing of the missiles at American targets Monday took place without the knowledge of the Soviets. The only question is whether the Soviets gave their approval to the attack,” he wrote.
According to Schiff, the Soviet presence poses a problem for the U.S. since it is likely to limit its readiness to attack targets with Soviet presence.
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