Six Israeli soldiers were injured today in two mining incidents in the neighborhood of Beerotayim, near the old Sinai border, a military spokesman announced. One soldier was hurt in the first incident and five suffered injuries in the second which occurred three miles away. The mines, which damaged Army vehicles, are believed to have been planted by the same group of saboteurs.
A 20-minute exchange of fire developed at 4:00 p.m. local time today when Israeli forces north of Umm Sidra were fired on from Jordanian territory. The fire was returned and no Israeli casualties were reported. Sporadic small arms and bazooka fire erupted at a number of points along the Israel-Jordan demarcation line earlier in the day but no casualties were reported in any of the exchanges.
The incidents began at 6:00 a.m. local time when bazooka and small arms fire was aimed at an Israeli patrol near Maoz Chaim in the Beisan Valley. At the same time, Jordanian forces opened fire on Israeli positions in the Umm Shurt area. Israeli units returned the fire and the shooting continued at intervals for nearly an hour. At 8:00 a.m. Jordanians fired on an Israeli patrol near the Abdullah Bridge in the Beisan region. Later they fired on Israeli forces east of Ashdod Yaacov in the Beisan Valley. Israeli soldiers returned the fire in all instances.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.