U.S. Is Planning Lebanon Invasion, Soviet Paper Says

The Soviet Communist Party daily newspaper Pravda said Saturday that the United States is planning to invade Lebanon in response to the hijacking of an American airliner.

Referring to reports of U.S. warships’ movements and of commando units being assembled off Lebanon, a Pravda commentary said: “The fact remains that on any pretext, Washington amasses a show of strength in the Middle East, brandishes weapons. . . . Lebanon has indeed turned out to be under the threat of a new American invasion.”

Comparing the current situation in the Mideast with the U.S. invasion of Grenada two years ago, the authoritative Soviet paper added: “If the Pentagon is hoping for an easy ‘walk’ into Lebanon, then it is seriously mistaken. It should not underestimate the force of the anger of patriots in connection with the U.S.A.’s anti-Lebanese policies.”