Berri Suggests Israel Swap Prisoners for Downed Flier

Lebanese militia leader Nabih Berri said Saturday that he will seek to swap a captured Israeli airman for Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Berri, who is his country’s justice minister as well as head of the Shia Muslim militia Amal, spoke while on a visit here in the Syrian capital. At the same time, however, he stopped short of confirming that the Israeli airman is in the hands of his fighters.

“In case such reports were true (that Amal was holding the airman), then I plan to negotiate the swap of this Israeli pilot for Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails,” Berri told reporters after a meeting with Syria’s Premier Abdel-Raouf Kasm.

In Tel Aviv, an Israeli army official would not comment on Berri’s statement.

Missing in Action

The official, who demanded anonymity, said the aviator is listed as missing in action following Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. He reiterated the military’s position that it would do everything possible to find him.

The flier has been missing since his F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber was shot down Thursday over southern Lebanon. Another airman aboard the plane bailed out and was rescued by an Israeli helicopter.

The plane took part in a raid on what Israel called Palestinian guerrilla bases near the port city of Sidon. Four people were killed and 10 were wounded in the air attack, Palestinian sources reported.

An Amal official said Friday that the airman was captured a few minutes after the plane was shot down. Amal fighters displayed gear that they said belonged to the flier, including a radio set, electronic beeper, parachute and maps.

Moved to Bekaa Valley

Meanwhile, sources close to Amal said in Sidon, Lebanon, that the captured flier has been smuggled out of southern Lebanon into the Syrian-held Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon to discourage any Israeli rescue attempt.

Extensive Israeli air and naval search activity continued around Lebanon on Saturday, reflecting the Israelis’ pledge to leave no stone unturned in the hunt for the missing airman.

Israeli gunboats roamed Lebanon’s southern coastline, and Israeli jets streaked across the crash site and nearby hills, according to reports from the south.

“The air and sea activity has not stopped” since the Israeli plane was downed Thursday, said a police source in Sidon, 24 miles south of Beirut. “The general feeling here is that the Israelis will not give up until they find their man.”

Hundreds Reported Fleeing

There were also reports that hundreds of Palestinians, fearing attacks by Israel, were fleeing southern Lebanese refugee camps Saturday.

Amal is the largest Shia paramilitary group in Lebanon but is not aligned with the extremist Lebanese Shia groups that are believed to hold American hostages. Berri was instrumental in securing the release of hostages held by the hijackers of a TWA passenger jet last year. Israel helped cement the deal by freeing about 700 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners, although the Israelis would not acknowledge the quid pro quo.