The World : Bomb Sales to Israel OKd

The United States lifted a six-year ban on the sale of cluster bombs to Israel after receiving assurances that the weapons would not be used against civilians, a U.S. Embassy official in Jerusalem said. President Reagan decided that the ban was no longer warranted, embassy spokesman Dan Cofman said, adding: “There is no reason to maintain the embargo if the sale of the bombs would increase Israel’s security.” The ban was imposed in 1982 after Israel was accused of using the weapon--a large bomb that releases smaller “bomblets” just before impact--against civilians in its invasion of Lebanon.