Evening star., 1941-06-24
Beirut Is Damaged
Seriously by Series
Of British Raids
English Claim Importon'
Advance for Troops
Moving Against City
BY the Associated Press.

The port of Beirut, Lebanon. has
been seriously damaged by a series
of violent raids by British planes
and warships, the French admitted
today.
The port was bombed by squad
ronS of British raiders early this
morning while at dawn the British
fleet started bombarding the coast
a dispatch from the Lebanese capital
said.
In one raid the R. A. F. loosed
tons of explosives on the Kayak
station. northeast of Beirut, damag-
ing installations there.
No lives were lost in any of these
raids, French officials asserted. The
Beirut damage was confined to COM
mercial sections of the port.
The naval bombardment lasted
only short time, the British units
retiring after shore batteries opened
fire.
Damage to Warship Claimed.
French light naval units we're re-
ported to have seriously damaged
British Warship in an engagement
off Beirut yesterday.
The French vessels were said to
have suffered no damage during the
encounter. A number of units of the
British Navy were reported involved
The French said British land
forces were increasing the strength
of their attacks on the Merdjayoun
and Djezzine sectors in the coastal
sector south of Beirut. One British
assault at Djezzlne was repul5ed at
| bayonet point by counter r-attacking
French forces, it was said
Advance on Beirut.
At Cairo the British reported AN
important advance for their COL
umns driving toward Beirut along
the Mediterranean coast OF Syria,
and added that our artillery al
ready is in action against the Vichy
position at Damour," south of
Beirut.
The communique of the Near East
command also announced that the
British had captured Qatana, Is
miles southwest of Damascus, and
were advancing toward the Damas-
cuS-Beirut road.
Beirut, therefore, was menaced
by advances both from the south
and southeast
Australian units were credited
with the gains in the coastal sector.
Free French and Indian troops"
the communiuue said. successfully
attacked and occupied the high
ground of Barre in the Damascus
area
Further local ga.ns' for the allies
in the Merdjayoun area, in South
ern Syria. were reported.
Converge on Palmyra.
Two Allied columns are converg-
ing on ancient Palmyra through the
Syrian desert from the east and one
has penetrated the outskirts of the
old caravan stop, a British military
spokesman declared at Jerusalem.
The column which reached the
outskirts of the town, $50 miles
northeast of Damascus, was re-
ported subjected to considerable
bombing from planes at French
airbase there. The second column
was said to be still approaching
Palmyra across the sandy wastes
and its location was not disclosed.
The spokesman said French forces
which withdrew from Damascus,
taken over by the Free French, had
occupied positions from Barre, 10
miles north of the city, to the
heights of the Jebel Ell Chakki
Range, so miles to the northeast.
Damascus was taken with only
two civilian deaths, the spokesman
said.
French Holding Out.
French forces were reported hold
ing out near Mezze southeast of
Damascus and near Kattaneh, 10
miles to the southwest, where the
spokesman said there was "a deal
of scrapping" and Allied troops
were under artillery fire.
In Lebanon, French forces en-
trenched east of Merdjayoun were
being attacked from the south but
results of the fighting remained in
conclusive, the spokesman said.
Australian troops moving north
ward along the Lebanese coast were
said to have captured three more
fortified posts-Jiye, Bassir and
Beichiye-in their push toward
Beirut.
British bombers attacking Beirut
harbor were reported here to have