The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was put on “Red Alert” today after a series of clashes with terrorists during the past 24 hours in which two French soldiers and a Senegalese soldier were killed. At least 10 UNIFIL soldiers were wounded, among them Col. Jean-Germain Salvan, commander of the French contingent, who was reported seriously hurt. Several French soldiers are missing. A man described as a liaison officer of the Palestine Liberation Organization was also killed.
(At the United Nations in New York, Secretary General Kurt Waldheim expressed grave concern over the events in south Lebanon and ordered the immediate return there of UNIFIL commander Gen. Emmanuel Erskine, who had come to New York for consultations.)
Israeli circles expressed the belief that terrorist elements were making a concerted effort to infiltrate positions just evacuated by Israeli forces and held by contingents of UNIFIL which is still about 1000 men short of its mandated strength of 4000.
Terrorists shelled a French barracks east of Tyre with mortars last night and ambushed a French patrol in the same vicinity. Col. Salvan was wounded in that skirmish and two terrorists were killed and two wounded. A French armored car was ambushed and a clash occurred with a Senegalese unit. One UNIFIL soldier was flown to Rambam Hospital in Haifa for treatment.
The attacks on UNIFIL are believed to have been carried out by an extreme terrorist group, probably backed by Iraq, which has refused to accept PLO chief Yasir Arafat’s reported promise that his men would cooperate with the UN forces. Nevertheless, political factions in France have reportedly called for an end of all French relations with the PLO.
The French are apparently seriously disturbed by the casualties to their forces In Lebanon. A French officer in Tyre was quoted as saying that unless UNIFIL is given specific orders to counter the terrorists, its mission will fail and the UN will suffer a severe loss of prestige.
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