Syrian gunners renewed this afternoon their firing at Israelis across the border in an incident which rapidly escalated into a fierce mortar and tank battle in which at least one Syrian tank was disabled. It was the second tank clash on the border in three days and the tenth border incident since January 1.
The latest clash erupted a few hours after Premier Levi Eshkol visited the northern command and issued still another warning to the Syrians to discontinue their provocations in the border area. The latest battle subsided after United Nations intervention for a cease-fire. Two Israelis were reported injured in the battle, one seriously.
The Premier, accompanied by Army Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin and officers of the northern command visited at noon the Tel Katzair area where the first tank fight took place on Monday. That affray cost the Syrians two tanks destroyed and at least one damaged.
The Premier declared at the site that if the Syrians continued their shooting, it would be Israel which would decide the timing and magnitude of its response. He said that Israel had done everything “to prevent border incidents. We asked the United Nations to help us in this but the Syrians used tanks and we had to react.” He stressed the fact that placement of Syrian talks in the restricted area was a “flagrant violation” of the cease-fire agreement and that Israel could not close its eyes to that fact.
The clash this afternoon began when Syrian machinegunes fired at the Israeli patrol near the Notera settlement and at a road crossing the reclaimed Huleh area. Israeli soldiers fired back and silenced the machineguns. The Syrians then opened fire with mortars and the Israelis replied with their mortars.
The Syrians then began the tank attack. A tank shell hit and damaged a tractor in the Notera field. Then Israeli tanks began firing and scored a direct hit on the Syrian tank which had damaged the tractor. It was covered by smoke and flames. The Syrians then resorted to heavier mortars and the Israelis used mortars of corresponding size to reply. The shooting ended after the U.N. appeal.
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