Beirut, April 13.

Left-wing anxiety about the advance of Syrian troops into Lebanon since Sunday grew rapidly yesterday as the Syrian President, General Hafez Assad, announced in Damascus that the Lebanese President, Mr. Suleiman Franjieh, has undertaken to resign.

Gen. Assad added: “The Syrians, Christians and Muslims are ready to advance towards Lebanon in order to defend all the oppressed without distinction of religion.”

Meanwhile Israel was reported to be making preparations for a military state of emergency in view of reports of Syrian moves and Egypt has warned that it would not allow any action that could lead to the liquidation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Lebanon.

Resignation of Mr. Franjieh, a Maronite Christian due to leave office in September anyway, would be in line with Muslim left-wing demands here, and it was a left-wing condition for accepting the present 10-day-old truce after one year of bloody civil war.

But leftist and Palestinian talks yesterday were dominated by the Syrian troop advance, which a leftist source said had reached a key crossroad on the Damascus–Beirut road, about 30 kms east of here.

Tank-backed Syrian soldiers occupied the Lebanese town of Dier Zannoun yesterday to control the main border highway. “We have complete freedom of movement,” the Syrian President said.