The Israel-Jordan border echoed with gun fire today as forces of both sides fought an hour long duel with artillery, mortars and machineguns south of the Sea of Galilee. Amman radio claimed that Jordanian gunners destroyed an Israeli ammunitions dump, hit an Israeli halftrack and caused nine Israeli casualties. The Jordanian report alleged that Israel had started the shooting by firing on the Jordanian settlements of Khirbet Chebab and Manshiya with howitzers, mortars and machineguns.
Shooting flared along several sections of the cease-fire demarcation line last night and early this morning, a military spokesman reported here. He also reported that a water pumping station north of Ashkelon was damaged by a bomb and that Israeli jets chased off a flight of Egyptian MIGs on a reconnaissance mission over Sinai yesterday. The Egyptian planes crossed the Suez Canal south of Kantara at twilight and Israeli planes immediately were sent in hot pursuit. They encountered Egyptian anti-aircraft fire on crossing the Suez Canal but all planes returned safely to their bases, the spokesman said.
An Israeli patrol was attacked by Jordanian machinegun and bazooka fire at dawn today near Neveh Urr in the Beisan Valley region. The fire was returned and no Israeli casualties were reported. A short while later, Jordanians attacked an Israeli armored car near Kibbutz Gesher with bazookas and recoilless guns and again the fire was returned without casualties on the Israeli side. A 45-minute exchange of fire developed between Israeli and Jordanian forces during the night near Umm Shurt and a half-hour exchange occurred at Neveh Urr without casualties, a military spokesman said. A bomb explosion at a Mekorot Water Co. pumping station near Yad Mordechai south of Ashkelon damaged the building but not the pump which supplies water for irrigation. Police are investigation the incident. An Israeli Army patrol was attacked by bazooka fire while moving along the road from Khan Yunis to Raffah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The patrol, which was in a half track, returned the fire, then searched the area. They found the bazooka.
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