Syrian jets enter Middle East fight

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 15

Syrian jets enter Middle East fight

Z P A.-Reuter— Copyright)

LONDON. April 19.

Syrian jet fighters have gone into action over the Golan Heights front for the first time since the October war in a new step in the gradual escalation of fighting there.

\n Israeli military spokesman said all the Syrian aircraft made one pass, dropped their bombs wide of the mark and immediately returned across the lines.

Syria said four Israeli aircraft had heen shot down in the battle for Mount Hermon. but Israel said all aircraft returned safely to base. Mount Hermon is prized because its 9200 ft peak straddles the borders of Israel. Lebanon and Syria, and pro-! vides an unrestricted view for miles. Control of the heights could also be used as a bargaining counter in disengagement negotiations between Syria and Israel. Tank and ground fightng raged all along the 40-mile Golan Heights cease-fire line for the thirty-eighth consecutive day. And in a Tel Aviv suburb, a terrorist explosion; wounded 12 Arabs and one Jew’. In Damascus, a military spokesman said that Syrian jet fighters inflicted heavy, losses on Israeli positions on Mount Hermon and various

other points along the frontline where fighting has been going on for more than five weeks. __ The spokesman said that Syrian anti-aircraft defences hit an Israeli Phantom jet. In Washington, the fighting was discussed when President Nixon met the visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister (Mr Ismail Fahmy). The White House spokesman, Mr Gerald Warren, said that the United States was concerned that violence on the Golan Heights might harm efforts to bring about a troop disengagement between Israel and Syria. Call for summit In Cairo. President Sadat called for a summit meeting (with the Soviet Un-on — Egypt’s main supplier of, arms — and said that Egypt! has already begun buying arms from other countries. The Soviet Union had. failed to meet all Egypt’s requests for weapons, he said.

It has been revealed that President Sadat told Egyptian 1 students that Egypt has missiles trained on three Israeli cities and would “reply to any agression against any town on the western bank (of the Suez Canal).” The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) is planning to leave for the Middle East at the end of the month in an effort to negotiate a disengagement of forces agreement between Syria and Israel. Syria has indicated it would agree to disengagement as part of an over-all agreement for the evacuation of territory occupied in the 1967 and 1973 wars. Iraq ‘pro-Nazi’ At a meeting of the United : Nations Security Council i Israel has angrily denounced Iraq’s membership and cur-, rent presidency of the coun-j • cil, accusing it of being oroiNazi during World War Two! and of then joining the anti-! Axis alliance “under duress.”; I The Israeli Ambassador (Mr Yosef Tekoah) urged mem-j bers to disqualify the Iraqi representative (Mr Talib EliShibib) from presiding. I The Soviet Ambassador (Mr I Vasily Safronchuk), himself I the target for strong Israeli attacks, defended Mr Shibib against what he called “unprecedented” criticism and declared Moscow’s unswerving support for the president. | In his own reply, Mr Shibib said that the General i Assembly elected Iraq to the 'council — for a two-year term which began on January 1 — by 116 votes, the second highest tally. Iraq was there by the will lof the world community and was not subject to Israel’s “whims and desires,” he added.

After repeated angry exchanges, the council adjourned its debate — on Lebanon’s complaint against Israeli border raids last Friday — without setting a date for its next meeting.