Israeli attack hits Syrian forces

Press, 30 April 1981, Page 8

Israeli attack hits Syrian forces

NZPA-Reuter Beirut Syrian and Lebanese leaders declared their determination to find a solution to the Lebanese conflict despite on unprecedented intervention by Israel yesterday in support of Rightist Christians fighting Syrian forces. The Israelis sent Phantom fighter-bombers into Eastern Lebanon, where Syrian peace-keeping troops have surrounded the mainly Christian town of Zahle and attacked Rightist militias holding nearby mountain positions. The Phantoms shot down two Syrian military helicopters and, according to the Lebanese and Syrians, strafed Syrian hill positions. The Israelis denied strafing Syrian troops. It was the first time that Israel, which has said it will not let. Lebanon’s Christian communities be crushed by the Syrians, had acted to support the Rightists in the eastern Bekaa Valley' and threatened a new escalation of the fighting. Both Syrian and Lebanese officials interpreted the Israeli attacks as an attempt to torpedo the peace talks, which offer a slim but tangible chance of ending a conflict which has cost hundreds of lives this month alone. An official Syrian state-

ment denounced “an overt Israeli. attempt to obstruct” the peace efforts but declared that Damascus would “maintain its efforts ... to achieve national reconciliation in Lebanon.” The Lebanese Information Minister (Mr Michel Edde) said in a statement that Israel’s claim to be protecting the Lebanese Christians “would deceive none of the Lebanese people” and was aimed at hindering action to achieve national accord. The most remarkable statement came from Pierre Gemayel, leader of the Right-wing Christian Falange Party battling the Syrians around Zahle, who was one of a long queue of politicians to call on Mr Khaddam at the Presidential Palace.

Mr Gemayel described his talks with. Mr Khaddam as “serious, genuine, true, and sincere,” and said his party wanted friendship with Syria “because we and Syria are more than brethren.”

In Tel Aviv, the Israeli Prime Minister (Mr Menachem Begin) has said the shooting down of the Syrian military helicopters was not a declaration of war. But Mr Begin said on Israeli television that both Israel and the United States demanded that the Syrians

halt their attacks on Lebanese Christians and withdraw to their original positions. Both Mr Begin and Government officials in Jerusalem made it clear that the destruction of the helicopters was the direct result of an all-out Syrian attack on strategic hilltops around Zahle.

Israeli jets shot down the helicopters in separate attacks while the Syrian craft were ferrying in commandos and strafing militia positions around Zahle where Syrian attacks have been in progress for four weeks, an Israeli military spokesman said.

“Our action today is not a declaration of war against Syria but if they take any measure against us, the Government will again meet to decide what to do about it,” Mr Begin said. Mr Begin said the Americans had transmitted Israeli warnings to Damascus to “cease their murderous attacks on innocent civilians.”

"These warnings did not help and indeed the Syrians accelerated their attacks and so our Ministerial Defence Committee decided to take further steps,” he said. * There was no immediate comment from Washington on Mr Begin’s association of the United States with Israel’s stand.