How U.S. plane helped Israel win a war

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 13

How U.S. plane helped Israel win a war

A United States Air Force AWACS plane, patrolling over the Mediterranean some 150 miles from the Lebanese coast, helped to direct Israel's air battle against Syria in June, 1982, according to a senior American military source who refused to be named.

The AWACS plane could have been based in West Germany or Greece, operating over the Mediterranean. It might have been spotted by Greek, Turkish, or Egyptian radar, but none of these countries would be likely to make the information public. The source added that the Soviet Union knew at the time of the American involvement but, lacking matching technology, could do nothing about it. However, he advanced the opinion that the closer SyrianSoviet military relationship that has since developed was a direct consequence of the massive Syrian losses. “After this uneven battle, Syria was able to press the Russians not only for large-scale resupply of advanced weapons but for a prom-

The plane — in effect, a flying radar station — tracked all aircraft taking off from Syrian bases and transmitted the information to Israeli ground control, thus allowing immediate interception by Israeli fighters. In three days — June 7 to 9 — the Syrians lost an estimated 108 aircraft, more than 80 of them downed on June 9, for the loss of no Israeli planes. “Most of the Syrian planes were shot out of the sky without even knowing they were in.danger,” the Ajherican military soiree said.

From PATRICK SEALE in Cairo. A United States Air Force AWACs plane helped direct Israel’s air battle against Syria in June, 1982, according to a senior American military source.

ise of direct Soviet support in the event of an Israeli attack on Syria — the first time the Soviet Union has given such an undertaking.” In 1983. in what was regarded as a "quantum leap” in arms deliveries, the Soviet Union supplied Syria with an advanced air defence system based on SAM 5s and SAM 6s — able to reach into Israeli air space — as well as with long-range ground-to-ground missiles, such as the SS 21. Some 6000 Soviet military technicians are training the Syrian armed forced in the use of

these and other systems. It is reliably reported that President Assad of Syria, himself a former pilot and air force chief, was extremely reluctant to commit his air force to battle in 1982, but found it politically necessary to do so. He is said to have visited air force bases during the conflict to talk to pilots, many of whom, aware they would not’be returning, wrote final letters to their families before taking off. "We lost over 80 pilots,” 'aid a senior Syrian source. "It was a

massacre.” A close but covert American involvement in Israel’s air war over Lebanon accords with what is now known about the joint preplanning of the Israeli invasion by then Defence Minister Aeriel Sharon and the former United States Secretary of State. Alexander Haig. It also accords with a long history of unpublicised United States-Israeli military and political co-operation, recently detailed in a book. "Taking Sides," by an American author, Stephen Green. Published in London last month, it is based on official American documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. One of the allegations in the book is that the United States Air , Force flew secret reconnaissance 4

missions in support of Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. American Presidential envoy, Philip Habib, helped bring about an Israeli-Syrian ceasefire on June 11, a couple of days after the air battles. Assad agreed to Habib’s ceasefire proposals on condition that Israel withdrew forthwith from Lebanon. But Israel, tipped off about the Syrian condition, preempted Habib by announcing a unilateral ceasefire — and advanced on Beirut. Assad felt betrayed by the American envoy — and refused thereafter to receive him — while Sharon has since publicly accused the United States of preventing Israel from “finishing the job” and defeating Syria. Copyright — London Observer Service.