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Suicide Bomber Caught, Navy Shells Rocket Launching Sites
Suicide Bomber Captured by Nahal HareidiThe IDF's Nahal Hareidi brigade apprehended an Arab suicide bomber already wearing a bomb-belt Wednesday afternoon. The terrorist was caught at the Beka'ot checkpoint in the Jordan Valley, which is manned by members of the special religious brigade. The eighteen–year-old had traveled from Shechem and was supposed to be picked up by Israeli Arab terrorists and driven to a population center to blow himself up among the maximum number of people he could find. The explosives contained in the belt weighed upwards of 80 pounds, local commander Col. Motti Elmoz told Army Radio. The explosives were detonated by sappers in a controlled explosion. Attempted Attacks Continue More than 70 intelligence warnings of planned terror attacks remain in effect across Israel. At the Hawara checkpoint, just south of Shechem, and in Hevron as well, soldiers arrested PA Arabs with large knives suspected of intending to carry out stabbing attacks. Both suspects are being questioned. At Rachel's Tomb, the burial place of the Jewish Matriarch Rachel in Bethlehem, a terrorist threw an explosive device at a public Israeli bus Wednesday afternoon. Though there were no injuries in the attack, security officials are concerned about the increasing violence targeting the Jewish religious site. Rockets and New Naval Response Israel responded to Kassam rocket attacks Wednesday by attacking launching sites in Gaza from the sea for the first time, using naval vessels to fire artillery at the open fields and launch sites favored by terrorists. Five Kassam rockets struck the western Negev Wednesday – fired from areas in northern Gaza formerly home to Jewish communities, which were destroyed as part of last summer's unilateral withdrawal. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad says that the Russian-made Katyusha missile fired toward the city of Ashkelon on Election Day was just a first attempt, and promises to improve its aim and range in future attacks. While Israelis were going to the polls Tuesday, the Hamas terror group formerly took its place at the head of the Palestinian Authority and vocalized its intentions to create an Islamist regime that would sponsor and encourage terror attacks, "and whose greatest desire is martyrdom for Allah," a senior official told the parliament. He was answered with applause and chants of "Allahu Akbar." Navy Vessels Again Bombarding Gaza Targets (IsraelNN.com) Navy vessels began shelling enemy targets in northern Gaza a short time ago. The targets are thought to be the areas from which Arab terrorists have been launching rockets at Israeli targets in recent days, including with Kassams and at least one Katyusha. The IDF shelling from the sea at this time is the second incidence of the navy taking part in the retaliatory strikes today. Posted by: Steve 2006-03-29 |
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