[New York Times] Isabel Kershner - Ephraim Sneh, Israel's deputy defense minister, explained the arrest of 18 militants in a raid on PA military intelligence headquarters near Ramallah on Wednesday. He said Israel had repeatedly asked Palestinian authorities to stop the 18 men from carrying out attacks, including recent ones on Israeli vehicles. But the Palestinians permitted the men to take refuge in the intelligence compound, and it was there that the Israeli forces arrested them. Sneh said that although the 18 once were members of the Aksa Martyrs Brigade linked to Fatah, they had severed those ties in the past year and were paid by Iran through Hizbullah in Lebanon.
2007-03-09 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive