Residents of Northern Israeli Towns Emerge from Their Shelters

Residents of northern Israeli towns and villages emerged from their shelters today, taking advantage of a lull in the shelling and rocketing from across the border to breathe the fresh air after more than a week of continual stays in shelters.

The area was reported quiet today, with no shells up to mid-day. Some rockets were fired during the night, causing no casualties but damaging power lines. Israel Radio, which yesterday transferred its mid-day newsreel to temporary studios in Nahariya, today broad-cast from Kiryat Shemona.

Visitors there report a defiant mood among those residents who have remained, with no panic. Those who have left the new immigrant town, mainly families with children, took only a suitcase with them, planning to return as soon as quiet returns. None are reported to have announced plans to move permanently from the area which has suffered repeated rocket attacks in recent years.

Damage of Galilee kibbutzim has been heavy, with large areas of crops and fruit trees damaged and fields set afire. Many of the kibbutzim in the area also have vacation guest houses and their tourist season has been hard bit.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL) spokesmen say the international force is holding talks with “both sides” in an effort to return quiet to the region. A Fijian detachment of UNIFIL clashed yesterday with a group of Palestinians trying to smuggle a Katyusha rocket launcher through their lines to set it up to fire into Israel. Shots were exchanged when the terrorists refused to halt. But they were finally stopped and sent back north with their weapons, UNIFIL sources said.