TEL AVIV Ñ Palestinian militants are believed ready to deploy
lethal gas in suicide attacks against Israeli targets.
Israeli military sources said the Palestinians are trying to use cyanide
or nerve gas in suicide bombings. They said the first attempt to use cyanide
gas against an Israeli target was in the March 27 suicide bombing in a hotel
in Netanya in which 29 Israelis were killed.
But the Palestinians were unable to install the cyanide in the belt used
by the suicide attacker, the sources said. They said the work with cyanide
has been taking place in at least one two laboratories in the West Bank,
including An Najah University in Nablus, Middle East Newsline reported.
"We are talking about an intention," Brig. Gen. Ron Kitri, the army
spokesman, said.
The sources said Israeli military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon
Zeevi, warned a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that Palestinians were
seeking to weaponize cyanide in suicide attacks. The general said
Palestinian insurgents are being aided by Hizbullah, Iran and Syria in their
efforts.
The effort to use cyanide was part of a Hamas effort in the West Bank
city of Tulkarm. A Hamas agent, Abbas Sayed, was arrested on May 9 and later
acknowledged that he obtained help in trying to develop weapons using
cyanide and nerve gas from Hizbullah.
