(AP/Washington Times) Arieh O'Sullivan - A car bomb exploded in Damascus on Sunday, killing a top Hamas leader Izz El-Deen Al-Sheikh Khalil, Israeli security sources said. They said that Hamas in Damascus was increasingly involved in guiding, funding, and directing Palestinian terrorist groups in the West Bank and Gaza. (Jerusalem Post) Khalil is believed to be in charge of Hamas's military wing outside the Palestinian territories. Israel expelled Khalil from Gaza to Syria in 1992. (Ha'aretz) Khalil was one of the founders of the secretive Hamas military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in bombings and shootings. An Israeli source said Khalil had directed the activities of Yehiyeh Ayyash, the group's chief bombmaker in the 1990s.
2004-09-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive