8 Muslim Guerrillas Reported Killed as Israelis Counter Attack

Israeli troops used helicopter gunships, tanks and artillery to counter an attack Friday by dozens of pro-Iranian Shia Muslim guerrillas in south Lebanon, independent sources said.

Israeli army spokesmen said that eight Hezbollah guerrillas were killed, as was one fighter of the South Lebanon Army, a pro-Israeli militia. Three Israelis and three militiamen were wounded in fighting that lasted for more than two hours, the spokesmen added.

Hezbollah (Party of God) is thought to have ties to Shia extremists believed responsible for many of the kidnapings of foreigners in Lebanon.

Maj. Gen. Yossi Peled, head of Israel’s northern command, said on Israel radio that the guerrillas suffered a major setback.

‘They Panicked and Ran’

“All indications show they panicked and ran away, according to the large amount of arms and equipment found,” he said. “It’s clear that . . . painful failures, like this morning’s, will bring about rethinking (by the guerrillas).”

Guerrillas have launched more than 50 attacks inside Israel’s self-styled “security zone” in southern Lebanon in the past month, killing about 20 Israeli-backed militiamen and wounding 20, according to independent sources. Israel created the buffer zone to shield its northern frontier from guerrilla infiltration and attacks.

A communique issued in Beirut by Islamic Resistance, an Iran-backed grouping of Shia and other militias, conceded that four guerrillas were killed by the Israelis after three guerrilla squads launched attacks overnight.

This is the account of the action given by Israel’s military command in Tel Aviv:

Dozens of guerrillas assaulted a South Lebanon Army position near Beaufort, three miles north of the Israeli border, starting about 2 a.m.

Gun Battle Reported

The raiders were repulsed and during their retreat encountered an Israeli force near the Shia village of Tibnin, about six miles north of the Israeli border. A gun battle followed in which three Israelis were slightly wounded.

At first light, Israeli troops searched the area and found five dead guerrillas. Next to the bodies were rocket-propelled grenades, submachine guns, explosives, bulletproof jackets and ammunition.