Syria and Israel filed complaints with the Security Council here today, each accusing the other of “aggressions” as a result of Israel’s Saturday dawn raid against Syrian gun positions overlooking Lake Tiberias. Neither side requested a Council meeting, both being content merely with informing the members of the Council of their conflicting claims and counter-charges.
Israel’s protest, by Ambassador Michael S. Comay, pointed out that Israel exercised its right of self-defense as a result of 10 different aggressive acts by Syria between February land March 16. He also noted that, since Syria separated itself from the United Arab Republic, last September, its leaders have repeatedly declared that their Government is “in a state of war” with Israel.
The “aggression” allegation made in the Syrian document was firmly rejected today by the Israeli delegation here. “The Israel action was taken in accordance with Israel’s legitimate right of self-defense, and the responsibility of its Government to protect the life and property of Israeli citizens and the territorial integrity of the State,” said a spokesman for the Israeli delegation.
The Syrian complaint avoided mention of the harassing by the Syrian gum positions of Israeli patrol boats and fishermen on Lake Tiberias–acts which precipitated Israel’s raid on these positions. It charged Israel with attacks by mortars, artillery and from aircraft against seven Syrian villages. The Israeli spokesman said that the Syrian letters “gives a completely untrue account of the clash” and drew attention to the fact that “the letter is also remarkably silent about the chain of events leading up to this incident.”
“Lake Tiberias,” the Israeli spokesman emphasized, “is wholly within Israel territory. Near its northeastern shore, the Syrians have established fortified gun positions, from which they have repeatedly fired on Israel fishing boats and police patrol vessels on the Lake–most recently on March 8, 15 and 16. When appeals and warnings through the United Nations authorities failed to stop these Syrian violations of the Charter and the Armistice Agreement, an Israel force destroyed certain Syrian gun positions from which the firing had been directed.
“No Syrian villages or civilians were attacked, though the Syrian armed forces bombarded the Israeli farming and fishing settlement of Ein Gev and the residential quarter of Poriah. The aggressive Syrian actions in recent weeks have been accompanied by declarations from Syrian leaders calling for the liquidation of Israel,” the spokesman stressed.
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