Evening star., 1941-06-14
French Retire,
Near Damascus,
British Report
Opposition in Syria
Coastal Area Is
Admitted in London


LONDON, June 14-Authoritative
sources announced today that
French troops had abandoned the
Syrian town of Kissoue and had
fallen back to new positions only a
few miles from Damascus.
Kissoue is 10 miles south of Da-
mascus, and British and Free French
forces striving to capture the Syrian
capital have been held up there for
several days by French resistance.
In the central sector west of Kls-
soue, these sources said, the Allied
forces now hold Nebatiye, and
closely supported by the R. A. F.
are in touch with Vichy transport
north of Merdjayoum. Nearer the
coast the Allies were said to have
encountered some opposition" near
Sidon.
(French military sources said
Allied forces had been thrown
out of the outskirts of Sidon
after gaining a foothold there
yesterday.
British planes bombed Beirut
four times last night, but officials
said they caused no damage and
were forced out to sea by heavy
anti-aircraft fire a dispatch from
the Lebanon capital saidD
The British and Free French
forces in Syria have substantially
increased the areas of their penetra-
ton" the British Near East high
command in Cairo said.
Minor gains were reported in both
Libya and Ethiopia.
Damascus Fall Awaited.
Earlier, informed Britons pre-
dicted that Damascus, ancient capt.
tai of Syria, would fall to encircling
British and Free French forces
within a matter of hours-if it has
not been taken already.
They were unable to confirm
broadcast reports that new negotia-
tions had been undertaken in an
effort to effect capitulation OF the
city without further fighting.
dispatches from Damascus
yesterday indicated the defenders
intended to declare it an open
city, to spare its 100000 residents
the dangers of a siege. The
British radio broadcast last night
from Cairo a report that Vichy
French and British-Free French
leaders had instituted a parley
for the citys surrender
The Palestine Broadcasting Sys-
tenn said last night that the Allied
forces ringing Damascus had been
subjected to heavy artillery fire
from within the city's defenses,, but
that there had been no lombard
ment in return.
Although official confirmation was
lacking on the French claim that
British and Free French had been
driven out of the outskirts of Sidon,
25 miles south of Beirut, capital of
Lebanon, military circles here said
this column might have come to a
temporary halt"
Military men here hailed as one
of the most important features of
the campaign report from Ankara
Turkey, that a British commanded
column from Iraq had advanced 800
miles along the Syrian-Turkish
frontier to point about lis miles
due east of Aleppo, which was said
to have been a center of German
activity during the recent fighting
in Iraq.
The Ankara dispatch said Aleppo
was expected to fall tomorrow.
This column, informed quarters
said, may be led by Maj John B.
Glubb, Lawrence of Arabia" char
acter who, as head of the Arab
Trans-Jordan frontier patrol, played
a big part in crushing the revolt in
raq.
An Axis plane attack on British
naval units off Sidon was said here
to have been a costly one for the
attackers, with British and Austria
liam airmen holding command of
the situation.