Six Israeli soldiers have been killed and 14 wounded in action since Tuesday, a military spokesman said today. Three Israelis were killed in a battle with Arab saboteurs in the craggy, sun-baked Samarian hills north of Jerusalem yesterday. But Israeli forces succeeded in wiping out all eight members of the Arab gang, a spokesman said. He disclosed that two other Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded by an Egyptian mortar shell fired across the Suez Canal on Tuesday. Four Israeli soldiers were wounded in fresh fighting near Qantara in the Canal zone last night. An officer, Capt. David Klein of Jerusalem, was killed today and two others were injured when a patrol was attacked by bazookas in the Beisan area near Ashdot Yaacob.
The clash in the Samarian hills took place during the hottest part of the day on terrain that is cut by deep canyons and has many caves and rocks. The Arab saboteurs occupied a peak which gave them a topographical advantage over the advancing Israeli forces, a spokesman said. The Israeli unit came within grenade range. Lt.Moshe Sharhabani of Petach Tikva was mortally wounded after he hurled a grenade that killed four of the saboteurs. The remaining four were slain in a fierce battle that followed. The names of the other Israeli casualties were not announced.
An Israeli soldier was injured last night when an Army car was attacked near the West Bank town of Hebron. Another vehicle was attacked in the same area some time later. The fire was returned and area was searched, a military spokesman reported.
Sources here predicted renewed fighting along the Israel-Lebanese border as reports from Beirut indicated that a verbal agreement between Palestinian guerrillas and Lebanese authorities to freeze action on the border had broken down. The agreement was reportedly reached between Lebanese authorities and Yassir Arafat, commander of El Fatah, the principal guerrilla band, It was supposed to end commando operations against Israel from Lebanese soil pending the establishment of a new Lebanese Government. Lebanon has been without a Government since the cabinet of Premier Rashid Karami resigned April 23 in the midst of pro-guerrilla rioting and demonstrations. The agreement was said to have broken down after June 6 when Israel reportedly fought a four hour mortar and machine-gun duel across the Lebanese border. Guerrilla sources accused Lebanese authorities of arresting eight of their number following the clash,
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.
