Terrorist Base Shelled

Israeli naval vessels shelled a terrorist encampment near Rashidiyeh on the southern Lebanese coast last night. A military spokesman said there was no return fire and no Israeli casualties. Foreign press reports today said five Israeli warships took part in the shelling which killed three people and injured 13 in the target area. The sprawling Palestinian refugee camp near Rashidiyeh is believed by Israeli authorities to serve as the base of terrorist gangs that have recently infiltrated Israel or attempted to do so.

Lebanese regular army units fired mortar shells at an Israeli patrol in the Biranit region of Upper Galilee last night. The fire was returned. There were no Israeli casualties. A number of Katyusha rockets were fired into the Biranit region early this morning from Lebanese territory. There were no casualties.

An investigation of the three terrorists killed in a clash with an Israeli patrol near Kibbutz Iftah Tuesday indicated that at least one of them may have been an Israeli Arab serving as a guide. The dead man was wearing a shirt made in Israel. Police are investigating reports that he was born in an Arab village in Galilee and went to Lebanon a year ago.

Meanwhile, security forces were continuing their search for a terrorist gang believed to have entered Israel nearly three weeks ago. The manhunt has been extended from northern Israel to the central regions of the country on the premise that the terrorists may have been aided by local Arabs to leave the border regions undetected. Security sources said it was likely that the terrorists are hiding out because of the high security alert. The alert has been extended to the Jordan River valley where authorities believe new terrorist flare-ups are possible in the aftermath of the Arab summit meeting in Rabat. This morning five ” days of large-scale military maneuvers on the Golan Heights ended with a ceremonial parade and an overflight of Air Force Jets.