WORLD IN BRIEF : ISRAEL : Syria Defector Shows Israeli Security Flaw

Euphoria over the defection of a Syrian pilot gave way to a sense of failure as questions were raised about how the pilot had managed to fly his MIG-23 fighter unchallenged through Israeli airspace. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir told a group of high school students that the air force is looking into “how a plane can arrive without us detecting it immediately.” Government radio said Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin has ordered the investigation. The Syrian plane was piloted by Maj. Adel Basem, who told interrogators that he fled Syria in bitterness over his treatment in the air force. He said he had been beaten by a secret police agent after he had asked for better housing.