Israelis attack Arab village

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 8

Israelis attack Arab village

NZPA-Reuter Sidon, Lebanon Israeli commandos attacked a south Lebanese village from the sea early yesterday, blew up '* two houses, and killed or wounded 10 people, eyewitnesses have said. I They said the Israeli force stormed Sarafend village, 12km south of Sidon, after pounding it with shells. An Israeli helicopter hovered overhead while the ground force was locked in heavy fighting with Palestinian guerrillas. The eyewitnesses said they believed three Israelis were wounded. In Tel Aviv, the Israeli military said the attack was against a naval base that was used both to train guer-j rillas and as a launching! point for attacks against the Israeli population. At least six guerrillas were killed and a number of buildings were destroyed in the operation, the Israeli statement said, and two' Israelis were wounded slightly. Eye-witnesses said that the commandos landed at 12.45 a.m. yesterday (10.45 a.m. N.Z. time) and the attack lasted more than 2| hours.

It was preceded by an artillery barrage from vessels lying off-shore. Tne commandos : returned to the ships after the raid. Palestinian ' guerrillas raided an Israeli border settlement on April 7. Three Israelis and all five guerrillas were killed. In an apparent response, an Israeli military task force crossed into south Lebanon ilast week and started building what United Nations officers believed was a line against guerrilla infiltration. On Thursday, . Israelibacked Rightist militiamen turned their big guns on a south Lebanese village in (the United Nations peacekeeping zone and overran a Linked Nations observer post The village of Al-Tiri now has only about 100 of its original 1000 inhabitants after the Rightists warned them of further shellings unless they forced out the Irish contingent of United Nations troops who have clashed there with the militia. A Fijian and an Irish soldier have been killed in the last week.