U.S. Hints It Will Strike at Terrorist Bases

The Reagan Administration hinted today that the United States will strike against terrorist training camps or support bases in the Middle East, saying the Beirut hostage crisis had created widespread support in America “for more firmness in dealing with terrorism.”

Robert C. McFarlane, national security adviser to President Reagan, said there are “two or three strategic locations in the Middle East” that might be targets of U.S. action in the wake of the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 to Beirut. He did not pinpoint any sites.

McFarlane, in an interview with the Independent Network News, was asked if it was possible to “surgically retaliate” against those responsible for the hijacking, and whether the United States must retaliate in order to maintain credibility.

Not a Random Act

“Well, I think that’s true,” McFarlane said. “And I think the focus of it--the purpose of it--has to be not to conduct a random act of vengeance but instead, to focus our power on dealing with the root sources of terrorism: Where people are trained, where they are housed, fed, sustained over time.”

White House spokesman Larry Speakes declined to elaborate on McFarlane’s suggestion of a strike against terrorist camps, saying at one point, “I just wouldn’t comment about timing.”

However, Speakes said the possibility of closing the Beirut airport “was discussed again this morning” when Reagan met for an hour with top national security advisers to review the outcome of the hijacking and U.S. efforts against terrorism.

Administration officials have said it is not feasible to retaliate against the radical Muslim faction known as Hezbollah--the group that held four of the hostages separate from the others--because its members live in urban areas and any attack would kill innocent people.