Swedish troops of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) occupied the Khardala Bridge, the eastemmost span of the Litani River in south Lebanon today. Israeli sappers, clearing the road for them last night, were ambushed by terrorists but destroyed the ambush in a fierce exchange of fire. Col. Jonas Lindgren, commander of the Swedish unit, ordered a roadblock erected on the bridge. “We shall give no unauthorized person an entry to the south of Lebanon. If anyone tries to push through we shall open fire,” he said.
Earlier, a French UNIFIL battalion was frustrated in attempts to occupy the Kasmiyeh Bridge over the western section of the Litani leading to the terrorist-held port of Tyre. Terrorists fired Katyusha rockets at the advancing French soldiers who did not return the fire. The commander of the unit said further attempts to take over the bridge would be made today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ezer Weizman warned the terrorists yesterday that the Israeli army would take action if they did not end their shelling of Israeli settlements in Upper Galilee within 48 hours. Weizman spoke in the township of Metullah where local residents complained that terrorist bombardment forced them to spend most of their time in bomb shelters. The terrorist artillery and rockets are deployed around Nabatiyeh north of the Litani River.
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.
