Switch to Desktop Site  Why US is calm in wake of Soviet airlift
to Syria  About these ads  The United States is reacting calmly
to reports of a Soviet airlift of military supplies to Syria.
The Soviets appear to be moving with too little, too late. The
superiority of American weapons used by the Israelis over Soviet
arms used by the Syrians has dealt a blow to Soviet prestige in
the Middle East.  Washington's main fear at the moment is that
the fighting around the city of Beirut will escalate, causing an
even greater loss of lives and property in Lebanon than has
already occurred. American officials have been cautioning the
Israelis not to move beyond the positions they now hold on the
outskirts of the Lebanese capital.  Israeli Embassy officials,
for their part, have been denying that Israel has any intention
of going into the heart of Beirut. In order to underline its
concern in this regard, the Reagan administration on June 15
described as tentative the President's scheduled meeting with
Israeli Prime Mi