Egypt hunts cell planning to kidnap Israelis in Sinai

Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists are planning an imminent joint operation to kidnap Israelis vacationing in the Sinai Peninsula and transfer them to the Gaza Strip, where they will be held until Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are released, security officials warned yesterday.

"The threat [of an attack] is getting clearer and more concrete," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, urging Israelis already in the Sinai to return immediately.

The government's counterterrorism bureau intensified its warning against travel to the peninsula yesterday, noting that while a warning against Israeli travel to Sinai has been in place for some time, new information received over the past few days suggests that the probability of an attack in the near future is high.

"This is a specific and focused organization," a security official said yesterday. "This is a serious warning. We know what organizations and individuals are involved in the [planned] kidnapping, what their targets are and where they plan on transferring the captives."

An Israeli security official said the disclosure of such sensitive information to the public was unusual, but was approved due to the severity of the threats.

Israeli security officials have been in touch with their Egyptian counterparts about the threat and have asked them to track down the suspects.

If claims that Hezbollah is involved in organizing the planned attack are correct, it would be the first instance of involvement by the Lebanese militant group in carrying out terrorist activities on Egyptian soil.

Hezbollah has reportedly been stepping up its efforts in recent weeks to avenge the death of its top operative, Imad Mughniyeh, in a bomb blast in Damascus earlier this year. Hezbollah blames Israel for the explosion, though Jerusalem has not claimed responsibility for the incident. In response to these threats, security around Israeli establishments abroad has been ratcheted up over the past few months.

A few days ago, the Israel Defense Forces issued a blanket ban on travel to Sinai to all of its soldiers and civilian employees.

"A time will yet come when [Israelis] can travel to Sinai freely, but now is not that time," Barak said. "I call on all Israelis in Sinai to come back to Israel and not to go there over the Jewish holidays."