A charge by Pravda, the official Soviet Government newspaper, that Israel was planning to invade Syria and overthrow its government evoked an emphatic rebuff today from Israel. A Foreign Ministry spokesman described the charge as “completely groundless.”
The development occurred against a background of Syrian forecasts of imminent hostilities with Israel which surprised Israeli officials. They were equally amazed by Syrian statements that such a conflict would spread to other Arab states.
While Middle East experts here viewed Syria’s armed forces as of high quality for this part of the world, they also agreed that a Syrian attack on Israel would mean war under-taken in the face of Egyptian displeasure. Egypt, with 50,000 troops tied down in the Yemen civil war, has made it plain it does not want a military shown with Israel until, as President Nasser has repeatedly said, he feels victory is assured.
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.
