Israeli Air Force planes struck today for a second time at Jordan’s Ghor irrigation canal in an attack on military objectives in response to an upsurge of Jordanian shooting across the cease-fire line and guerrilla raids against civilian settlements and army units in the Beisan and Jordan Valley sectors.
Officials indicated that the canal was again damaged in the one-hour raid. All Israeli planes returned safely to base. After the first air raid on the canal last June 23, Beisan Valley settlements had almost two weeks of calm without a single attack on any settlement. Premier Golda Meir said at the time that if the quiet was continued by Jordan, Israel would not interfere with repair work on the canal, a pledge Israel kept.
However, officials said, soon after repairs were completed, the Jordanians renewed their attacks, which reached a peak in the past 24 hours with five assaults on settlements and Israeli army units. The officials emphasized that the two-week period of tranquility demonstrated that Jordanian officials could control both their army and Jordanian-based saboteurs if they wished to.
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.
