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Israel won't rule out another attack in Syria
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli government is not ruling out another attack in Syria, a spokesman said Monday, adding that although Iran "is not a target," the strike over the weekend was aimed at putting pressure on both countries to cut their ties with Palestinian militants. The attack on Syria followed a suicide bombing that killed 19 people Saturday in the Israeli city of Haifa. Asked if Israel might stage another air strike like the one Sunday that targeted an alleged training camp for Palestinian militants in Syria, Israeli government spokesman Ranaan Gissin said in a telephone interview, "There could be more, there could be not." "Iran is not a target," Gissin said, but added Iranians should stop supporting militants in Lebanon. He called for economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran. But he said Syria is the "critical part" of what he called an "axis of terror" among Iran, Syria and Palestinian militants. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat is "living on borrowed time," said Gissin, who shrugged off Arafat's declaration of a state of emergency, approval of an emergency Cabinet and his prime minister's call for a truce. The move was seen as aimed at heading off Israel's calls for the Palestinian leader's exile. (Full story) "The noose is tight around his neck," Gissin said, adding that Israel "wants to make certain he is removed," either physically or by isolation. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei's call for a truce was met coldly by the Israelis. "He wants a truce, he should make a truce," Gissin said, calling on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the militants. If not, he said, Israel will continue attacking the militants. President Bush was careful Monday in his first public comments on the Israeli airstrike in Syria. The president, speaking before Gissin's remarks, said he had made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that "Israel's got a right to defend herself, that Israel must not feel constrained in terms of defense of the homeland." But he added that he had told Sharon "it is very important that any action Israel take should avoid escalation, creating higher tensions." Much of Israel closed down Monday to observe Yom Kippur -- the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Monday also marked the 30th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. In 1973, Syria and Egypt, backed by other Arab countries -- attacked Israel. Israel was the victor. The holiday came amid heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions due to a string of Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis and deadly Israeli strikes on Palestinian extremist group members that also have killed and wounded Palestinian bystanders. Syria proposed a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemning the Israeli airstrike and calling on Israel to avoid any actions that would worsen the Middle East crisis any further. No vote is yet scheduled on Syria's resolution, and it's doubtful whether the United States -- which holds the Security Council's rotating presidency this month -- will support it. The Arab League was meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday to condemn the raid, which came hours after the terrorist bombing in Haifa that also injured 50 people. (Full story) On Monday, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Fayssal Mekdad, told CNN his nation has worked with the United States to fight terrorism, and deserves support. Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary-general, agreed. "This is a situation that doesn't conform to the international law. The right of self-defense applies when a state is attacked," Moussa said. "When a country occupies the land of other countries and practices violence ... it's not possible to consider this self-defense." Israel Defense Forces said the camp targeted in the Syria strike was used to train members of Islamic Jihad -- a militant group that has claimed responsibility for terror attacks against Israelis in the past, including the suicide bombing Saturday in Haifa. But the Syrian Foreign Ministry insisted the Israeli target, near Damascus, was a civilian site, without elaborating. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad denied Sunday there were any Islamic Jihad training bases in Syria. Mekdad called the air raid an act of "unwarranted aggression" that violated the U.N. Charter and the 1974 disengagement agreement that followed the 1973 Yom Kippur War. (Full story) The United States "believes Syria is on the wrong side of the war on terrorism," said John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. "We have been clear of the need for Syria to cease harboring terrorist groups." Fighting along Israel's border with LebanonAll civilian traffic between Israel and Lebanon was halted after gunfire and explosions erupted in a disputed border area, Lebanese security forces said Monday. A statement from the Lebanese Joint Security Force said gunmen engaged Israeli forces in a brief cross-border gun battle, around the same time explosions were heard in the disputed area known as the Shebaa Farms. This mountainous zone lies at the foot of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces said an Israeli patrol in the area came under fire from snipers on the Lebanese side who were wearing the uniforms and masks of the militant group Hezbollah. One Israeli soldier was killed, and there was an exchange of fire, the IDF said. CNN correspondents Brent Sadler and Chris Burns contributed to this report.
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