As the United States continues to pursue Bin Laden in Afghanistan, Israel got its man yesterday evening.
The extreme terrorist leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who became the leader of Hamas in Gaza less than a month ago, was felled by an Israeli helicopter missile attack on his car. Two of his bodyguards were also killed in the attack.
Israeli sources said that Rantisi was in the midst of planning a large-scale "quality" attack against Israel. In addition, a woman would-be terrorist - mother of seven children - who was caught in Ariel on Thursday planning to transfer a 20-kilogram bomb into pre-'67 Israel, told her investigators that her orders, and others, had come directly from Rantisi. The next morning, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz gave the order to implement against Rantisi, within 36 hours, the long-standing government policy to kill Hamas leaders. An opportunity to strike at him just over a week ago was bypassed because of the potential danger to nearby civilians.
Minutes after the missile strike, Rantisi was taken in very critical condition to a hospital in Gaza, and died a short time later on the operating table. Rantisi escaped a previous IDF offensive strike when he was lightly hurt in a missile attack in Gaza last June.
Dan Gillerman, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the attack was not retaliation for yesterday's murderous attack by a Palestinian suicide terrorist, in which an Israeli policeman was killed (see below), but "was part of Israel's long-term war against terrorism. This war is taking place in Spain and Kenya and Bali, and Israel is fighting this war as well."
Another government source told Army Radio that this was the first opportunity to strike at Rantisi, and that Israel will continue targeting terrorist leaders who seek to kill innocent Israelis - including whomever replaces Rantisi as leader of Hamas. "People who want to see stability in our region should not ask themselves why Israel killed him now," said Gillerman, "but rather why we did not do this before."
The extreme terrorist leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who became the leader of Hamas in Gaza less than a month ago, was felled by an Israeli helicopter missile attack on his car. Two of his bodyguards were also killed in the attack.
Israeli sources said that Rantisi was in the midst of planning a large-scale "quality" attack against Israel. In addition, a woman would-be terrorist - mother of seven children - who was caught in Ariel on Thursday planning to transfer a 20-kilogram bomb into pre-'67 Israel, told her investigators that her orders, and others, had come directly from Rantisi. The next morning, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz gave the order to implement against Rantisi, within 36 hours, the long-standing government policy to kill Hamas leaders. An opportunity to strike at him just over a week ago was bypassed because of the potential danger to nearby civilians.
Minutes after the missile strike, Rantisi was taken in very critical condition to a hospital in Gaza, and died a short time later on the operating table. Rantisi escaped a previous IDF offensive strike when he was lightly hurt in a missile attack in Gaza last June.
Dan Gillerman, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the attack was not retaliation for yesterday's murderous attack by a Palestinian suicide terrorist, in which an Israeli policeman was killed (see below), but "was part of Israel's long-term war against terrorism. This war is taking place in Spain and Kenya and Bali, and Israel is fighting this war as well."
Another government source told Army Radio that this was the first opportunity to strike at Rantisi, and that Israel will continue targeting terrorist leaders who seek to kill innocent Israelis - including whomever replaces Rantisi as leader of Hamas. "People who want to see stability in our region should not ask themselves why Israel killed him now," said Gillerman, "but rather why we did not do this before."