Israeli Jets Test Freshly Placed Syrian Missiles
Israeli warplanes streaked over Lebanon on Friday in an apparent test of newly deployed Syrian anti-aircraft missile batteries, Lebanese military sources said. None of the Soviet-made weapons were fired.
On the political front, Syrian-mediated peace negotiations between Lebanon’s Christian and Muslim militia leaders hit a new snag, forcing yet another suspension of the talks aimed at ending a decade of civil war.
Political sources said that while each of the delegations held separate talks with Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam in Damascus, the Syrian capital, face-to-face negotiations were temporarily suspended.
The pro-Syrian Al Shark newspaper confirmed the suspension but said indirect contacts will continue with the aim of resolving last-minute problems.
Presidency Disputed
The main stumbling block delaying a Syrian-inspired agreement is the future status of the presidency--a seat traditionally held by the nation’s Maronite Christian community.
The sources said the deadlock does not mean that the talks have collapsed.
“They seem to always get back to the drawing board every time they get near to agreement. There is a great deal of hesitation on everyone’s part,” said a Lebanese government official.
Military sources said Israeli warplanes, apparently testing a newly deployed network of Syrian SAM-2 and SAM-4 missiles, crisscrossed Lebanese skies over the Bekaa Valley, southern Lebanon, Beirut and the mountains east of the capital.
First Since Crisis
The flights, which lasted nearly one hour, were the first since the Israeli-Syrian “missile crisis” resulting from the deployment of Syrian surface-to-air missiles near the Lebanese border last week.
Military sources said they spotted at least four high-flying Israeli jets over the Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley, and an equal number were seen over the Beirut area.
“They broke the sound barrier at least three times over Beirut, and we have similar reports from the Bekaa Valley,” a military source said.
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