Israel Says New Terror Cells Are Not Arafat's

October 22, 2002

TEL AVIV - Terrorist attacks in Israel are now being directed from abroad, Israeli intelligence sources said one day after a suicide attack killed at least 14 Israelis on a bus.

Israeli officials said the government will not respond with widescale retaliation after Monday's attack. A jeep filled with 120 kilograms of explosives was detonated next to an Israeli passenger bus.

The vehicle was said to have been driven by two Palestinian insurgents from the Jenin refugee camp.

"The terrorist campaign has been largely taken out of the hands of Palestinian leaders," an intelligence source said. "Instead, the orders and money come from abroad and the cells are being composed of a range of groups."

The officials said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had assured the United States that he would not take any military steps that could upset the Middle East amid preparations of a war against Iraq.

Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the Iranian-backed group said the suicide mission was in retaliation for the killing of eight Palestinians in an Israeli military operation last week.

The planning for the attack was attributed to Iyad Sawalha, 30, a resident of Jenin. Sawalha was also alleged to have planned a massive bombing attack in northern Israel in July. That attack was foiled.

On Tuesday, a senior Israeli intelligence officer told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that authorities have recently foiled seven suicide bombings and dozens of other plots. The officer did not elaborate.

Israeli intelligence sources said Iraq has been directing cells composed of several groups to launch suicide bombings against Israel. The sources said the insurgency cells include members of such groups as Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The new Palestinian cells are mostly operating in the northern West Bank, the sources said. They said they are based in the cities of Nablus and Jenin as well as surrounding villages and are often in contact with Israeli Arabs.

PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, officials said, would not be a target in any Israeli retaliation. Last month, Israeli troops surrounded Arafat's compound in Ramallah, which prompted U.S. and European pressure on Israel to withdraw.

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