Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 27, 1993 TAG: 9307270032
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NABATIYEH, LEBANON LENGTH: Medium
At least 39 people were reported killed and 151 wounded. Most of the casualties were in Lebanon, where an estimated 50,000 villagers left their homes during lulls in the shooting and fled north.
About 150,000 Israelis huddled in bomb shelters during a second day of rocket attacks on northern Israel by Arab guerrillas; two Israelis were reported killed.
Unlike their usual pattern of brief strikes, Israeli forces hit at suspected guerrilla targets across Lebanon hour after hour to retaliate for attacks on Israeli troops.
Late Monday, the Syrian army ordered its front-line troops to take combat positions overlooking the western part of the Israel's so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon. Israel has not ruled out launching a ground assault there.
The Israeli attacks brought warnings from Arabs that the hostilities could jeopardize the 21-month Middle East peace talks.
"Israel's escalating attacks constitute not only a military blow to Lebanon, but also a political strike to the United States and its peace-making efforts," Lebanese Foreign Minister Faris Bweiz said in Beirut.
The flare-up came a week before U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher is to visit the Middle East to promote peace talks. Arab guerrilla groups have vowed to poison the atmosphere for talks by escalating the fighting in southern Lebanon.
"We must not let the opponents of the peace process undermine it," said Christopher. "I am determined as ever before to assist the parties to make progress in the peace process because . . . the best answer to this kind of violence is progress in the peace process," he said.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council called a closed meeting for this afternoon to discuss Lebanon's request for a formal condemnation of Israel.
Israel said it had no intention of widening its operation to resemble its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. But it vowed to keep hitting hard at guerrillas who have intensified attacks on its security zone.
Two Israeli soldiers were reported killed in an ambush outside Baraachit in the buffer zone Monday. The Syrian-backed Amal, a Shiite Muslim militia, took credit for the attack.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB