WASHINGTON: A “limited number” of American military personnel have been sent to Israel in connection with the U.S. arms airlift, the Defence Department said today [Oct 19]. But Department officials said they could envision no circumstances where Americans might be committed to combat roles in the Middle East war. Lt-Gen Daniel James, a Pentagon spokesman, refused to say how many personnel had been sent to Israel. … He also declined to discuss the exact role they were playing. Indicating that their ranks included communications personnel and logistics experts Gen James said: “It is a limited number of people. …” The number is less than 100, officials said. He said their jobs were specifically limited to meeting the needs of jet transports involved in the airlift of arms. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Tripoli,] Libya today [Oct 19] banned the export of oil to the United States, following her warning that countries going to the aid of Israel will not get oil from Libya. … An earlier report from Beirut said: The Libyan Oil Minister Izzeddin Al-Mabrouk had urged his colleagues at the meeting of 11 Arab Oil Ministers held in Kuwait … to stop the flow of oil to the United States.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2023