Three terrorists heading south across the Lebanese frontier “to kill as many Jews as possible” gave themselves up to an Israeli army patrol about 500 yards from the border fence.
The heavily armed marauders, believed to be members of Nayef Hawatmeh’s Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, surrendered early Tuesday morning inside the Israeli-controlled security zone in southern Lebanon.
They were spotted by Israel Defense Force troops on a routine predawn patrol in the foothills of Har Dov and pinned to the ground by fire while the unit summoned reinforcements.
Witnessing the arrival of Israeli forces supported by helicopters and lighted flares, the infiltrators took off their white vests and waved them above the rocks behind which they were sheltering to signal their surrender.
They said they were headed for an Israeli settlement to kill as many people as they could. They were carrying rifles and hand grenades, as well as battle pouches with reserve ammunition, when apprehended in the eastern sector of the security zone, the IDF spokesman said.
There were no Israeli casualties.
Kibbutzim in the region were placed on full alert after the terrorists were spotted. The alarm was lifted at about 7 a.m.
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.
