Rockets hit towns

Press, 17 July 1981, Page 6

Rockets hit towns

Tension was high along the Israeli-Lebanese border yesterday after three Israelis were killed and 13 wounded in a heavy rocket attack blamed by Israel on Palestinians. A military spokesman said dozens of Russian-made Katyusha rockets exploded in towns along the frontier. Most casualties were reported in the Mediterranean resort of Nahariya where a rocket hit a car travelling in a bustling street. In the town of Kiryat Shmoneh some 70 kilometres to the north-east five people were treated for shock. Heavy Israeli guns immediately opened up on Palestinian guerrilla targets in Lebanon. The duel came at the end of a week of increasing violence between Israel and the Palestinians. On Tuesday, Israel shot down a Syrian plane which tried to in-

terfere with the third bombing mission on guerrilla strongholds in five days. Observers said the tension which has built up could strain the already delicate mission of the American special envoy, Philip Habib, who has been shuttling between Middle East capitals in a bid to defuse the Lebanese missile crisis and avert Syrian-Israeli hostilities. Mr Habib came to the region last May after Israel threatened to remove by force Syrian anti-aircraft missiles stationed in Lebanon after the shooting down of tw’O Syrian helicopters by Israeli jets. Government officials said they were not surprised by the latest Palestinian attack, described as the heaviest of recent years, as Tuesday’s air strike against guerrilla bases caused heavy damage and casualties. Syria’s State radio and

press said yesterday that all chance of compromise on the issue of the Syrian missiles in Lebanon had been dissipated by Israel’s air strikes against Palestinian positions. A Syrian broadcast accused Mr Habib of having been responsible for the latest round of Israeli attacks. These statements came a few hours before Mr Habib was to arrive in Damascus for further talks with President Hafez Assad. The renewal of the Israeli bombing is embarrassing the Reagan Administration, which is due to rule by tomorrow on whether to deliver four additional Fl 6 fighter-bombers to Israel. The embargo was placed on the four late-model jets — even though long-standing plans call for delivery of six other Fl6s tomorrow — after Israel sent United Statessupplied Fl6s on a June 7 bombing mission against Iraq’s nuclear reactor, riear