The World - News from April 1, 1988

Lebanese soldiers repulsed an attempt by Syrian troops and members of a Syrian-backed leftist militia to infiltrate into a Christian enclave, killing two Syrian soldiers, military sources said. No Lebanese casualties were reported. The clash near the village of Bteghrine, 15 miles northeast of Beirut, was the first between the two forces in almost two years, despite the presence of at least 30,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon’s eastern and northern regions, the sources said. Meanwhile, Israeli troops clashed with pro-Syrian Lebanese guerrillas about to launch an attack inside Israel’s self-declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon. Several participants were wounded.