(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - The new audio clip attributed to Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, with Osama bin Laden reported to have instructed his activists to redirect the offensive toward the Near East, is believed by the defense establishment to be authentic. There are too many signs indicating that al-Qaeda and its offshoots are planning to expand their efforts to include Israel. Chief of Staff Dan Halutz sought to put into proportion the claim of responsibility for the Katyusha attack in Israel. "When my mother hears that al-Qaeda fired from Lebanon, she immediately pictures Afghan horsemen charging toward us," he said. "Ultimately, we are concerned with a number of Palestinians who were once members of Organization A and when they weren't paid, they went over to work for Organization B. After all, it is the same 107mm Katyusha."
2006-01-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive