Israeli Soldiers Kill Four Arab Guerrillas

TEL AVIV--Israeli troops fatally wounded four Arab guerrillas in a Jordan River sugar beet field early Sunday, the Israeli military command said yesterday.

"It appears the guerrilla squad intended to perpetrate an attack on civilians," an army spokesman said yesterday.

The spokesman said the early morning firefight occurred at Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, a collective farm 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee and north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel reported no casualities and did not identify the slain guerrillas.

Israel's army radio station said yesterday the troops captured the guerrillas after discovering a hole in the border fence along the Jordan River about a half-mile from Tirat Zvi.

In a statement, the Israeli military told Jordan's King Hussein it views "with gravity" the use of his country as a base for terrorist attacks on Israel.

Israel had hoped Hussein would join in the peace process that led to the Egyptian-Israeli treaty, but reportedly now believes Jordan is growing closer to the Arab states that oppose the pact.

In Beirut, Lebanon, the Palestinian guerrilla group Fatah yesterday claimed responsibiltiy for a "large-scale" attack on Israeli-held positions south of Beit Shean, apparently referring to the same attack described by the Israelis.

A spokesman for the guerrilla organization said, "All of our men, except four, returned safely to the base." He said the attack inflicted heavy losses on Israel.