Two Israelis were killed and at least six more were wounded today when a party of Syrian troops crossed into Israel east of the settlement of Dan and attacked a party of civilian workmen dismantling mines scattered throughout a demilitarized area. The Syrians were eventually engaged and forced to retreat by Israeli border patrols.
The unprovoked attack, the latest in a chain of incidents stretching back two weeks, occurred at a point only yards from a United Nations observation post, one of four established six months ago to maintain a watch over the demilitarized zone and prevent just such incidents. It was not known whether any UN observers were on duty in the lookout post when the attack occurred. Only this week-end Syrian troops attacked a UN observer and several Israeli officers investigating an earlier Syrian raid near Dan settlement.
The firing was extremely heavy until nightfall and it was impossible to remove the dead and the wounded until after dusk. Several men who had been hit were able to crawl back to the safety of the Israeli positions. It was estimated some 40 Syrian regular soldiers took part in today’s action which was set north of Lake Huleh. They used both rifles and automatic weapons.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
