Israel identifies officer who invoked conscience

An Israeli colonel, relieved of his command in the Lebanese campaign after saying his conscience did not permit him to continue, was named by newspapers Monday and described as one of the Army's most brilliant combat officers.

The press identified the officer as Col. Eli Geva, saying he had been in charge of a tank brigade in the siege of west Beirut. ''I don't have the courage to look straight into the eyes of bereaved parents and tell them their son fell in an operation which I believe we can do without.''

Meanwhile, Israeli fighter-bombers hit Palestinian areas in west Beirut Monday for a fifth straight day, witnesses said. The fighting spread to the suburbs south of Beirut, where tank and artillery battles erupted between Israeli and Palestinian forces.