The State Department denied today as being without “substance” a charge by an Israeli general that the zone being patrolled by U.S. marines in Beirut had become a “buffer” used by Palestinian terrorists to attack Israeli troops and then flee to safety.
“We have no information to suggest that the PLO are slipping through the marines’ cordon,” Department spokesman John Hughes said. He added that if that was the case there “certainly are adequate mechanisms” which the Israelis could use to discuss the situation with the U.S.
The charge was mode yesterday by Maj. Gen. Amir Drori, the Israel army northern commander. His remarks were explained later by the army’s chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yaacov Even, who noted that since December 22 there have been nine incidents near the U.S. lines in which one Israeli was killed and 25 wounded. Israeli pursuits of the terrorists have resulted in several clashes with the marines, the last on January 17, as the marines refused to let the Israelis cross their lines.
“We are clearly confident that the U.S. marines contingent … continues to fully discharge its responsibilities to bolster the authorities of the government of Lebanon and particularly throughout its area of operations,” Hughes said.
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