Israeli-Arab Conflict Intensified; Taylor Backs Vietnam Strategy

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Oct. 24--Egypt and Israel fought a roaring battle of artillery and mortars at the southern end of the Suez Canal Tuesday that caused heavy damage to Egypt's Port Suez. A huge refinery complex in Port Suez was left blazing and Egypt charged that the port's inhabited area was "almost demolished."

The U.N. Security Council was called into urgent session to consider Egypt's charges of Israeli aggression. Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed A. El-Kony claimed that the shelling of Port Suez began immediately after an extraordinary meeting of the Israeli cabinet and could not be considered an isolated incident. It "It went far beyond any minor violation of the cease-fire," the ambassador said, "and cannot be considered less than full military operations, which are an act of war under the U.N. charter."

Israeli Ambassador Gideon Rafael answered that Egypt had committed "maritime lawlessness" and a "deliberate act of military escalation" in sinking the Israeli destroyer Etalh last Saturday.

No Escalation

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 24--Maxwell Taylor said last night at a meeting of 150 Massachusetts public officials that the U.S. should "stick it out" in Vietnam, but not escalate the war.

Taylor, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Ambassador to Saigon, is now special consultant to the President. He explained that the U.S. had four alternatives in Vietnam: "We can walk out. Talk it out. Shoot it out. Stick it out." But he added that "before we leave our present hole, let's be sure we have a better hole to go to."

Taylor, rejecting proposals made by military colleagues, said it would not be useful to either intensify warfare or withdraw into centralized fortifications.