Syria warns that Israel may attack new missiles

By Compiled From Wire Service Dispatches With Analysis From Monitor Correspondents Around The World; Edited By Anne Collier

January 21, 1983

Damascus, Syria

Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam dispatched a note to UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar warning that Israel may attack Syria to destroy its new long-range Soviet-made missiles.

The official Damascus radio said the protest was included in a message accusing the United States and Israel of preparing an offensive by spreading reports that Syria was deploying sophisticated SAM-5 rockets. ''Such statements implicate an aggression against Syrian air defense installations inside Syrian territory,'' Mr. Khaddam said.