Israel says it killed Hamas leader in Syria

[DC09]

DAMASCUS, Syria - A car bomb killed an operative of the Palestinian militant group Hamas as he turned the ignition Sunday, and Israeli security officials acknowledged that the Jewish state was involved.

Sunday's killing was the first by Israel of a Hamas member on Syrian soil and came after weeks of Israeli warnings that members of the Islamic militant group would not be safe anywhere. In a statement on its Web site, Hamas responded by suggesting it may take its fight against Israel outside the Palestinian territories.

"The Zionist enemy has opened a new door for the struggle by transferring the battle outside the land of Palestine, despite the fact that we in Hamas insisted on keeping our weapons against the enemy in the land which they occupied and we left hundreds of thousands of Zionists alone outside of the country," the statement said. "By today's action, the Zionist enemy should shoulder the consequences of what it did."

Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide bombings inside Israel and the statement appeared to indicate it would start hitting at Israeli targets abroad.

But the group's spokesman in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, denied any such decision has been taken.

"So far, there is no change in the policies of Hamas," he told The Associated Press in Beirut.

He said Hamas will retaliate "at the appropriate time and place" and was still studying its response.

Police at the scene of al-Zahraa district explosion were seen retrieving pieces of the body of Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil. The car exploded outside his home at 10:45 a.m. when he tried to start it, Hamas officials said.

In Israel, the government issued no statement, but security officials acknowledged Israeli involvement in the killing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Full Article

[Erikl]

He said Hamas will retaliate "at the appropriate time and place" and was still studying its response.

Yeah right... like Hamas need reasons to kill Israelis...

[Barnacle Battlefront]

lol erikl. according to a book i used for my hamas case study, they want israel to retaliate to their attacks so they can do it again. these people make no sense to me.

[Talon]

these people make no sense to me.

Makes perfect sense, it continues the conflict and increases the hate

[Talon]

Israelis admit Damascus bombing

An Israeli security source has told the BBC Israel was involved in the killing of a Hamas activist in Syria on Sunday.

Officially Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the attack on Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, whose car was destroyed by a bomb in Damascus.

Israel described him as a point man for the Palestinian Islamist movement's military actions in Gaza Strip.

Syria said Israel's attack showed its "intention to shake regional security and stability".

The Israelis had vowed to hit Hamas leaders "wherever they are" after suicide bomb attacks in August in Beersheba left 16 people dead.

Witnesses said they saw Mr Khalil get into his car and answer his mobile phone moments when the vehicle blew up. Three passers-by were injured.

Warning to Syria

Mr Khalil, 39, was a senior figure in Hamas' military wing and a member of the generation that set the group up.

He was based in Damascus along with other senior Hamas figures, including the overall leader, Khaled Meshaal.

He was among about 400 Palestinian militants deported by Israel to Lebanon in the early 1990s.

Israel has killed dozens of Hamas members in the last three years, including its two most senior leaders earlier in 2004.

Analysts say this latest Israeli assassination is intended to send a message to Syria's government that it will pay a high price for supporting Palestinian militant groups in the occupied territories.

Syria insists its support is political and not military.

BBC correspondent Barbara Plett says Syria's dilemma is how to respond.

Damascus cannot risk direct military confrontation with Israel, while indirect retaliation, through Hamas or another militant group, will only confirm Israel's accusations against Syria.

Our correspondent says Damascus will probably mount diplomatic protests, which are unlikely to do much to thwart Israeli action against it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3692858.stm

[Barnacle Battlefront]

these people make no sense to me.

Makes perfect sense, it continues the conflict and increases the hate

281799[/snapback]

they also claim they want to start a war between israel and the rest of the arab world. that in a way makes sense to me, seeing that if the rest of the arab wold takes over israel they won't give it back to the jews. when will these people learn that violence solves nothing?

[Scorpius]

It's pretty hard to change the views of older people unless they are already used to change.

The only way for this conflict to stop is Jesus's return. Or if you want...a massive explosion that'll destroy everyone. Then again, mother nature seems to be doing its thing anyway. If the weather aint gonna get them, its gonna be diseases.

Edited September 28, 2004 by Blue-Scorpion