The commander of Israeli forces in Lebanon, Brig. Gen. Amnon Lipkin, told foreign correspondents based in Beirut that terrorists who attacked Israeli soldiers in Lebanon came from West Beirut and areas held by the Syrians, passing through regions held by the Lebanese army and the multinational force.
He said the terrorists belong to the Palestine Liberation Organization, most of them from its mainline Fatah organization controlled by Yasir Arafat, Lipkin said that during the past four weeks seven a eight ambushes had been laid against Israeli forces, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding seven others. He declined to say how many of the attackers had been detained.
In reply to a question, he said the IDF would not enter Beirut in pursuit of attackers. He said the maintenance of order in Lebanon was not easy but also not an impossible task,
Lipkin indirectly criticized the multinational force, saying they could do more to prevent terrorist attacks. He said Israeli soldiers had strict instructions to avoid any conflict with members of the international force, adding he hoped the relations with them would improve.
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.
