Israeli newspapers quoted senior military sources Wednesday who predicted an escalation of attacks and attempted hostage-taking by terrorist groups operating in Lebanon.
According to the sources, a group known as the Salvation Front will try to seize hostages for bargaining purposes. It does not want to lag behind the Palestine Liberation Organization which carried out the two most recent attempts, the sources said. They also predicted new attempts to infiltrate Israel by sea and more Katyusha rocket attacks on Israel territory.
A report in Haaretz offered a breakdown of the principal terrorist and guerrilla groups active in Lebanon. The Palestinian organizations have 10,000 fighters at their disposal scattered throughout the country. The largest is Yasir Arafat’s El Fatah, with 4,000 armed men.
THOUSANDS OF TERRORISTS IN LEBANON
Haaretz said some 3,000 terrorists operate in the Sidon area, including 2,500 Arafat loyalists. Another 2,500 terrorists are in the Beirut area, including 1,500 members of El Fatah.
There are 500 terrorists in Tyre, including 150 Fatah; 700 in the Tripoli area; and 1,500 in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, all members of the Salvation Front, Haaretz reported.
According to the report, a Palestinian with military experience who enlists in El Fatah is paid 6,000 Lebanese Pounds a month (about $300). Members of the various Palestinian militias received $100 a month.
The mainstream Shiite Moslem military organization is Amal, which has between 5,000-6,000 fighters in south Lebanon, Haaretz reported. Several hundred more Amal fighters operate in the Beirut area, mainly in the Moslem western part of the city. They have between 25-30 Soviet made T-54 tanks supplied by the Syrian army.
Hezbullah, the pro-Iranian or Iranian-backed extremist Shiite force, has between 2,000-3,000 fighters with military training. Hezbullah has no central command. Its attacks are initiated by local headquarters, but all are approved by the Iranian-inspired religious-political leadership which includes Abas Musani, Ibrahim Abdallah and Sheikh Fadallah, Haaretz reported.
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.
