3 Soviet Ships Poised to Pass Information to Libya, Israel Says

Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin said Thursday that three Soviet naval ships steaming off Israel’s coast are there to pass information to Libya about the movements of Israeli ships and planes.

The Soviets have shown “great sensitivity” about Israel’s intentions since the Palestinian terrorist attacks on the Rome and Vienna airports last month and have set up a warning screen with the ships, Rabin said.

Israel and the United States have accused Libya of harboring the terrorist group that they blame for the Dec. 27 airport massacres in which 15 travelers died, including five Americans and two Israelis. Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi has predicted military action by both countries.

Electronic Detection

“Russian naval boats offshore (are able) to detect electronically anything that might go out from Israel,” Rabin told a group of American reporters at the Defense Ministry. He did not say whether the Soviet presence is inhibiting any Israeli plans.

He said two destroyers and an intelligence-gathering vessel were standing 30 to 80 miles off Israel in international Mediterranean waters. He also said that Soviet planes operate from bases inside Libya, watching the U.S. 6th Fleet and Israel’s actions in the Mediterranean.

“No doubt they are more active now,” said Rabin, referring to Soviet aerial reconnaissance that normally shadows U.S. naval activity.

The Soviet vessels provide “a screen of warning against flights and ships that might go out of Israel to the west,” he said, with the apparent purpose of notifying Libya. The Soviet Union has openly supported Libya in its dispute with the United States and is Kadafi’s main arms supplier.

No Automatic Reprisals

Of Israeli intentions, Rabin said “sometimes we get a target” but that Israel does not have a policy of automatic reprisals for each act of terror.

“It is easier for us politically to hit them,” Rabin said, referring to a domestic consensus for military strikes at terrorists, “but this is a prolonged war against terror which includes both defensive and offensive measures. There is no short cut to cure this problem.”

He indicated that Israel has no plans to attack Libya. One of the reasons appears to be an inability to locate Abu Nidal, the Palestinian blamed for the Rome and Vienna attacks.

Abu Nidal operated from Iraq and Syria before going to Libya, but his current location is not known.

The defense minister said Israel’s Oct. 1 bombing of the Palestine Liberation Organization headquarters in Tunis scattered Palestinian guerrillas, making it more difficult for them to act, and put host countries on notice that they are not immune to attack.

Support for Sanctions

He expressed support for the economic sanctions that President Reagan imposed on Libya. However, on the merits of a U.S. military action against Kadafi’s country, he said only: “It is not up to me to pass judgment on what the United States will do.”

In comments about recent tension with Syria over its deployment of anti-aircraft missiles in Lebanon, he suggested that Israel’s strategy is to keep its enemies guessing.

“The best way is to create question marks about what we will do and when we will do it as long as there is no immediate threat,” Rabin said. “If they are nervous, let them be nervous.”