TEL AVIV ø Hamas, bolstered by fresh funding and cooperation with a
range of insurgency groups, wields a range of options for revenge attacks
against Israel in wake of its assassination of the organizations' founder,
Ahmed Yassin.
Israeli security and intelligence sources said Hamas can attack Israeli
civilian targets in the Jewish state as well as throughout the world. The
sources said Hamas would seek to work with a much larger organization, such
as Hizbullah, to stage a massive attack against an Israeli target in a
Western or Middle East capital.
Officials have already warned Israelis not to travel to several Middle
East cities, including Cairo and Istanbu, Middle East Newsline reportedl. They said Hamas and Sunni
insurgents would probably plan attacks against Israeli interests in
neighboring Jordan.
Hamas and Hizbullah have bolstered their cooperation over the last year,
the Israeli intelligence sources said. They said Hizbullah has been training
Hamas operatives and providing expertise and blueprints for the production
of missiles and other weapons.
The sources said Hamas would seek to pursue each of these options:
- Massive bombing inside Israel against a major facility, including an
office tower, shopping mall or energy installation;
- Assassination of an Israeli political leader;
- Bombing or capture of major Israeli installation abroad, such as an
embassy;
- Abduction of Israeli nationals abroad and demanding the release of
Hamas and other detainees held by Israel;
- Raid or capture of an Israeli community in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
Hamas has a range of weapons that it has been improving over the last
year. They include the Kassam-class short-range missile, which can reach up
to 17 kilometers. Hamas has also enhanced what the sources termed an
anti-tank missile, the Al Batar.
On Sunday, Israeli troops killed a senior Hamas operative responsible
for the manufacture of the Kassam and mortars in the Gaza Strip. The
operative was identified as Bassem Salim Suleiman Kadah, killed during an
operation in Khan Yunis in the central Gaza Strip.
The sources said Hizbullah has been planning a campaign of abduction of
Israeli and Americans in an effort to win the release of Palestinian and
Hizbullah detainees in Europe and the Middle East. They said Hizbullah has
obtained forged passports and operatives to pose as Westerners and befriend
Israelis and Americans abroad.