Defense Minister Shimon Peres today described the assessment of Syrian troop movements in southern Lebanon as a “misunderstanding” that Israel was trying to correct by diplomatic means with the assistance of the United States. He reiterated that the presence of Syrian tanks and artillery units at Nabatiyeh, about 10 miles from the Israeli border, could escalate the situation to “a very dangerous point.”
But Peres stressed that Israel was not looking for a military confrontation. “The U.S. is trying, and rightly so, to solve the crisis in a diplomatic manner” and “Israel will participate in that to the limits of its patience,” Peres said in an address to the 1977 Prime Minister’s Israel Bonds Conference here.
READY TO ACCEPT SYRIA’S EXPLANATION
The Defense Minister’s remarks indicated that Israel was prepared to accept, at this point, the Syrian explanation that the presence of its forces in southern Lebanon was a temporary deployment that will be ended after the Syrians disarm Lebanese leftists and Palestinian terrorists in the region.
The inter-Arab peacekeeping force, which is predominantly Syrian, did not, however, take part in the clashes reported over the weekend between Lebanese Christians and Moslems. The fighting covered a large area, including the region around Nabatiyeh and the villages of Kili and Adeisa.
Artillery, mortar, automatic and small weapons fire was heard in Israel Friday and yesterday. According to the latest reports from the border region, Christian forces are firmly in control of southern Lebanon.
But the encroachment of Syrian forces across the so-called “red line” last week threatened to precipitate a new crisis between Israel and Syria. Although never defined in precise geographical terms, the “red line” is the point which Israel says it will permit no Arab army to cross because of the threat to its security. The Litani River in southern Lebanon is regarded as an unofficial demarcation line.
Israel, last week, demanded a Syrian pullback from Nabatiyeh which was conveyed to Damascus through the U.S. American officials were reportedly engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts throughout the week to avert a possible military confrontation between Israel and Syria. But all the State Department would say was that the U.S. was continuing to urge restraints on all parties.
BORDER REMAINS CALM
Meanwhile, the situation along the Israeli-Lebanese border remained calm. Workers from Lebanon continued to come to jobs in Israel through the open fence and other Lebanese arrived at border clinics for medical treatment. The latter included Christian militiamen who parked their arms outside the fence and retrieved them when they left Israel. The number of Lebanese Moslems availing themselves of the clinics’ services has reportedly dropped, however.
In a related development. Peres disclosed that Israeli authorities were setting up a school near the open fence for Lebanese children who have been unable to attend classes in their own villages because of the fighting. The school was said to have been requested by Lebanese teachers who visited Israel during the week.
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