Palestinians behind Syrian lines fire on Israeli troops

Palestinian guerrillas fired a Soviet-made rocket at Israeli positions in the eastern Bekaa Valley Monday, but were stopped from firing more by Syrian troops that arrived in the area, Beirut Radio said.

In a separate incident, two Israeli soldiers were killed in a guerrilla ambush in the Shouf mountains east of Beirut. The attack comes amid rising concern in Israel that the army is becoming bogged down in a virtual war of attrition against Palestinian guerrillas operating behind Syrian lines.

Israeli officials, however, said friction with Damascus has eased somewhat with the end of large-scale Syrian military maneuvers in east Lebanon.