ALONE among the Arab states sharing borders with Israel, tiny cosmopolitan Lebanon had escaped direct involvement in the Middle East's frequent outbursts of hostility. Like Arabs everywhere else, the Lebanese of course paid lip service and tithes to the Arab cause against Israel, but they were far more interested in commerce than in aggressive politics. The Beirut government dutifully declared war against Israel during last year's Six-Day War—and sent two fighters on a sortie southward toward Tel Aviv. When one was shot down, Lebanon happily withdrew from the campaign, its duty done.
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