Two terrorist frogmen on a hostage-taking mission to Israel apparently misjudged their position and came ashore in Lebanon where they were killed by soldiers of the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) Friday. A third frogman is believed to have escaped.
The terrorists, identified as members of the Syrian-backed Al-Saiqa were spotted after they pushed a box-shaped boat on to a beach at Ras Biyada, about four miles north of the Israel border. SLA soldiers opened fire as the men removed their wetsuits and were about to hide among rocks. Maj. Gen. Yossi Peled, commander of the northern region in Israel visited the scene later and congratulated the SLA. The latter claimed they foiled two other infiltration attempts by Palestinian terrorists in the last three months.
The boat contained assault weapons and leaflets handwritten in Hebrew demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in exchange for hostages. The papers stipulated that the ambassadors of France, Spain and Rumania act as intermediaries.
Israel Air Force planes attacked three buildings in the Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley several hours after the beach incident. According to a military spokesman, the targets were the bases of Syrian-controlled local militias. The raid had no connection with the infiltration attempt, the spokesman said.
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.
