Israel starts “retribution action"

Last night, Israeli troops invaded the Gaza Strip. The invasion is being carried out under intensive artillery cover. According to information agencies, a column of armoured troops entered the city of Rafah, at the West Bank of the Jordan River, and started to systematically annihilate Palestinians’ houses. Moreover, military formations entered the city of Gaza to capture the international airport.

Recall that the day before, in the evening, two check points of Palestinian National Security forces in the southwest of the Gaza Strip were annihilated. Now, a mass offensive against Palestinian positions has started. According to some reports, at the moment, Palestinians, while expecting massive aircraft attacks of the Israeli Air Force, have already started the immediate evacuation of sea transport office and the police’s headquarters.

Tel Aviv states that a “retribution action” has started in response to the yesterday’s attack on Israeli checkpoint by Palestinian kamikazes from the Hamas terrorist organization. As a result of that attack, four soldiers were killed and two were seriously injured. Sharon’s government says that Yassir Araft, the Palestinian Autonomy’s leader, is responsible for this and similar actions, while blaming him for the impossibility to restrain the terrorists. At the same time, the fact is being neglected that the Hamas was created with the blessing and direct participation of Mossad to internally undermine the Arafat regime.

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/10/35421.html