Israeli Air Force Conducts Almost Five Hour Sorties on Military Targets in Egypt

Israeli Air Force planes carried out one of the longest attacks on military targets in Egypt today, singling out radar installations, artillery batteries and anti-aircraft gun positions. All planes returned safely after sorties that continued for almost five hours. The radar station attacked was at Ein Soulah, some 50 kilometers south of the town of Suez. Other targets were along the southern and central sections of the canal, to a depth of 25 kilometers westward into Egypt. Seven Syrian soldiers were killed in a clash Monday night in the Golan Heights northeast of Birket Ram when an Israeli Army patrol intercepted a Syrian force attempting to infiltrate behind Israeli positions. An Arab terrorist was killed in another clash near Bouquaata in the Golan Heights. A Russian-made Kalachnikoff rifle was recovered near his body. There were no Israeli casualties in both clashes.

(Conflicts between Arab terrorists operating on Lebanese soil and the Lebanese Army resulted today in skirmishes between Army and guerrilla units in the Sabra quarter south of central Beirut. Army units were reported to have surrounded a school building and sports stadium where guerrilla snipers had taken refuge.) Salim Ibrahim Kasem, 27, an Israeli Arab living in Tirah village, was sentenced today to 25 years imprisonment following his conviction for having carried out acts of sabotage. Kasim, who expressed regret for his deeds during his trial and admonished Arabs to reject the urgings of inciters, admitted to three sabotage attempts. He told the court that he had placed explosives in Raanana which were discovered and defused before they could do any damage; had placed the explosives which damaged an electric pylon near Raanana, and had secreted explosives in Tel Aviv. A cleaning woman found the explosives there and police removed them before they could do any damage.