– Israel Goes on the Offensive

Israel Threatens to Hit Damascus
By Hakan Isayev, Cihan News Agency, Cairo

Israel holds Khaled Mashal, the leader of Hamas' Syrian branch, responsible for the abduction of two Israeli soldiers and wants Syria to expel Palestinian leaders from the country.

Israel threatened to kill Hamas militants based in Damascus.

Al-Jazeera television said Public Security Minister Avi Dichter claimed they knew the locations of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria and will not hesitate to kill them.

Justice Minister Chaim Ramon said, “The leader of Al Qaeda, Meshal is a terrorist of the worst kind, and the international community must exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to expel Meshal from Syria.”

Ramon claimed Meshaal gave the order for abduction and is now a target for assassination.

Syrian security forces said they tightened the security measures to protect the HAMAS leader.

Israeli army said yesterday they carried out a low-altitude flight over the palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Latakia, in northwestern Syria.

Syrian sources reported that they fired at two Israeli planes flying over Syrian air space.