British, French Reported Steaming Toward Suez Despite U.S. Protests

Western Big Three unity broke apart last night over Israel's attack into Egypt. Britain and France cast U.N. vetoes against U.S. and Russian cease-fire proposals, and prepared to land troops by the Suez Canal.

British newspapers reported an Anglo-French armada steaming toward Suez, and Cyprus-based parachutists ready to land in the canal zone.

Syria, Iraq and Jordan were mobilizing for possible aid to Egypt.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces advanced into the Sinai Peninsula along a 70-mile front. Unofficial reports still placed an advance Israeli group within 18 1/2 miles of the canal, although the Egyptians claimed they had smashed an Israeli column. Both nations' air forces were brought into the conflict.

Earlier in the day, Britain and France had set a 12-hour deadline for a halt in the fighting, a deadline which passed at 11:30 (EST) last night. They said they would then send troops to protect the canal and their shipping.

Egypt rejected the demand, saying it would not cease fighting while invading troops were within her borders.

Late last night French Premier Mollet won a vote of confidence after expressing support for the Israeli attack.

Eisenhower Protests

President Eisenhower protested the threatened Anglo-French troop movements, and Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge offered a U.N. resolution which implied a condemnation of them. The resolution called on Israel to cease fire and withdraw to its borders and asked U.N. members to refrain from using force in the troubled area.

In an unusual voting alignment, the Soviet Union joined the U.S. in supporting this proposal, which drew five other Security Council votes. Britain cast its first U.N. veto, and France joined to thwart the resolution. A later Russian proposal based upon the U.S. plan but without Lodge's backing also went down before the two vetoing powers.

Israel went under its first country-wide blackout since the armistice of eight years ago, but there was no air raid alert. An Israeli spokesman said that three Russian-built Egyptian jets were downed, while the Egyptians claimed seven Israeli aircraft.