Word: lebanon
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Emblazoned with the star of David, U.S.-supplied F-15s streaked low over the Mediterranean last week, protecting other Israeli planes on a bombing run of suspected Palestinian positions near Sidon and Damour in southern Lebanon. When the Israelis spotted eight Syrian MiG-21s flying toward them in close formation, the F-15 pilots fired their missiles. In the brief but fiery battle, which was joined by Israeli Kfir jets, at least six of the Syrian jets plummeted to earth. The Israelis returned to their home bases unscathed...
...Southern Lebanon became a battlefield again last week as Israeli jets bombed the area day after day in an effort to destroy Palestinian commando bases. On Wednesday when a band of Palestinian guerrillas tried to cross the border and raid a kibbutz, the Israeli army was waiting. It intercepted the Palestinians, captured one guerrilla and chased the others back into Lebanon. Then, with the support of its Lebanese Christian allies under the command of Major Sa'ad Haddad, an Israeli force of at least 400 pushed four miles into Lebanese territory until it ran head-on into United Nations...
...whole exercise was disturbingly reminiscent of the Israelis' incursion into southern Lebanon in March 1978. In that operation, which verged on prolonged occupation, more than 2,000 people were killed and 265,000 made homeless. What were the Israelis trying to prove this time? Evidently they were prepared to risk everything, perhaps even the peace treaty with Egypt, in an effort to compel the Palestinians to end their terrorist raids on Israel. Recent assaults have been particularly vicious; in fact, the rejectionist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine described last week's attempted attack on the kibbutz...
During the height of the aerial bombardment, Begin said that Lebanese President Elias Sarkis was welcome to come to Jerusalem to negotiate peace with Israel. Begin also demanded that Syrian troops withdraw from Lebanon, and declared that such Arab states as Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq should admit Palestinian refugees now living in Lebanon. The Beirut government angrily declined the invitation, and Premier Selim Hoss dismissed the Begin offer as "blackmail." Lebanon needed the Syrians to maintain order, said Hoss, and in any case the matter was none of Israel's business. Ever ready with an inflammatory phrase, Palestine...
Israelis like to think that their armed forces are the best in the Middle East. That may be true, but a devastating new report by the State Comptroller on the army's performance during last year's invasion of southern Lebanon concluded that a number of Israeli lives were lost because of lax discipline, inadequate equipment and bad intelligence. Some roadblocks were unmanned, for example, leading Israeli troops to enter P.L.O.-held territory by mistake. As many as 21 tank were put out of commission because troops failed to follow orders. In less than a month, there were...