The State Department accused the Soviet Union today of trying to “exacerbate inflamed emotions and increase tensions” in the Mideast by charging that Israel plans a “piratic strike” against Syria.
Department deputy spokesman Alan Romberg said, “We don’t have any information that a buildup is underway” by the Israeli army or that Israel plans any “military action” in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon against the Syrians or against the SAM-5 surface-to-air Soviet-made missiles recently installed in Syria.
Romberg said the Soviet charges may be aimed at “undermining political efforts of all parties to achieve a fair and comprehensive settlement” in the Middle East.
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.
