Israel Air Force jets bombed a terrorist base in Lebanon southeast of Sidon Thursday. A military spokesman said the target was an encampment of El Fatah, the mainstream terrorist group of the Palestine Liberation Organization loyal to Yasir Arafat.
The spokesman said the tented camp was in a wooded area far from civilian centers. It was heavily defended by anti-aircraft batteries but none was fired at the Israeli planes, he said. Beirut Radio reported that three Israeli planes carried out the bombing while three others flew cover at a higher altitude.
The attack was the second Israeli air raid on south Lebanon in three days and the sixth this month. On Tuesday, Israeli jets bombed the bases of the Popular Front organization and the dissident PLO faction headed by Abu Musa, Arafat’s rival.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Force denied Beirut reports of heavy exchanges of fire between Shiite Moslem groups and the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) in a region north of the security zone Wednesday night. The IDF reported the security zone quiet.
A Nepalese soldier of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was wounded Wednesday by an unidentified assailant who shot him at point blank range after asking for a water bottle. The Nepalese unit replaced the French UNIFIL contingent this week east of Tyre. The French troops were withdrawn after suffering four dead and 33 wounded in recent attacks by Shiite extremists.
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.
