JERUSALEM Ñ Israel has warned of Hizbullah plans for a major attack
as a suicide attacker blew up a bus full of Israeli soldiers.
Israeli intelligence sources said the bus attack, which claimed at least 18 lives, was the first of a series of Hizbullah-inspired attacks in northern Israel. The
sources said Hizbullah, with Iran's backing, has recruited agents among Israeli Arabs in the area.
Israel's military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash,
said the Iranian-backed militant group is planning to launch what he
termed a "unique" attack along Lebanon's northern border with the Jewish
state. Zeevi-Farkash said the Hizbullah strike will take place over the next
few days, Middle East Newsline reported.
In a briefing to parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on
Tuesday, the military intelligence commander said Hizbullah aims to renew tension between Israel and its Arab
neighbors and are supported by Iran and Syria. The general said Damascus and Teheran are
supplying Hizbullah with short-range rockets and other weapons.
Zeevi-Farkash said Syria has become the primary weapons supplier of
Hizbullah. He said Hizbullah has already deployed thousands of short-range
rockets throughout southern Lebanon and along the border with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to discuss the renewed
Hizbullah threat with senior Cabinet ministers on Wednesday. Israeli
officials have warned of a harsh military response to any Hizbullah attack.
The military intelligence chief also warned of what he termed
"mega-attacks" by the Fatah movement led by Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat and Hamas. Zeevi-Farkash said the focus would be on suicide
bombings on Israeli buses and in crowded shopping malls.
On Wednesday, a bus full of soldiers exploded at a major junction in
northern Israel, killing at least 18 people and injuring another 47.
Witnesses said a driver drove a car full of explosives into a passenger bus
during morning rush hour at the Meggido junction north of the West Bank city
of Jenin.
The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bus attack.
In Damascus, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns held talks
with Syrian leaders to discuss reducing tensions in the region. Diplomatic
sources said Burns failed to persuade President Bashar Assad to have Syria
attend a proposed Middle East conference.
"I emphasized strong U.S. concerns about maintaining calm along the Blue
Line," Burns said referring to the United Nations delineation of the border
between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanese sources said senior Syrian officers are said to have expressed
concern over the increased aid by Damascus to Hizbullah. The officers were
said to include Gen. Ghazi Kanaan, responsible for the Syrian troop presence
in Lebanon.
