Roadblock draws Israelis partway back in Lebanon

September 9, 1983

Israeli troops crossed over their new defensive line outside Sidon Thursday in their first reported move back toward positions they vacated on Sunday. Witnesses said an Israeli armored personnel carrier and two jeeps moved north after Christian gunmen set up a roadblock and stopped cars heading south toward Sidon. The soldiers stopped at the roadblock, a few hundred yards north of the Awali River, and drove off the gunmen. The purpose of the move appeared to be to remove the roadblock, although there was no immediate word from the Israelis.