- JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel
said all Palestinian militant leaders were "in its sights" Tuesday,
one day after killing Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin in an attack that provoked
Palestinian vows of revenge.
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- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and top aides approved
the order to target all top militants after the wheelchair-bound cleric
was assassinated in a missile strike outside a Gaza mosque Monday, security
sources said.
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- "Everyone is in our sights," Internal Security
Minister Tsahi Hanegbi told reporters. "There is no immunity to anyone.
And that means anyone to the last person," he said.
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- Israeli forces went on high alert to prevent revenge
attacks for Yassin's death. Previous assassinations triggered waves of
suicide bombings on buses and cafes that killed scores of Israelis.
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- Hamas has pledged to hit the Jewish state with unprecedented
ferocity to avenge Yassin, a co-founder of the Islamic fundamentalist group.
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- "Hamas's reaction will be stronger, harsher and
continuous to match the great crime Sharon has committed against our organization,"
senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told Reuters in Gaza City.
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- Hamas, sworn to destroy Israel, said it did not plan
to change its strategy by carrying out attacks in other parts of the world.
But fears grew that other Arab or Muslim groups might do so in outrage
at Yassin's killing.
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- A statement purporting to come from an al-Qaeda linked
group and published on an Islamist Internet site vowed to attack Israel's
ally the United States, which unlike many countries did not condemn the
assassination. The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade claimed responsibility for
the Madrid attack on March 11.
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- MARKETS PLUNGE
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- U.S. stocks and the dollar plunged as news of Yassin's
death added to market fears. Sentiment remained fragile Tuesday.
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- "The world is clearly a very unsettled and dangerous
place and that's demoralizing to investors," said Hugh Johnson, chief
investment officer at First Albany Corp.
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- The European Union and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
denounced the attack on Yassin, which left his wheelchair smashed in a
pool of blood. Seven others died in the attack.
- Israel stepped up such strikes after suicide bombers
killed 10 people at the port of Ashdod last week. Sharon has ruled out
peace talks with the Palestinians until attacks on Israelis stop.
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- Some analysts predicted that instead of crushing Hamas,
Yassin's death would help recruit a new wave of fundamentalists at the
expense of Yasser Arafat's more moderate Palestinian Authority, which seeks
a state in the West Bank and Gaza.
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- Security sources said Arafat, long accused by Israel
of fueling violence, was not on the list of leaders to be targeted immediately.
Arafat denies encouraging attacks on Israel.
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- Polls showed about 60 percent of Israelis approved of
Yassin's assassination, but over 80 percent thought it would mean more
militant attacks. Many Israelis steered clear of crowded places Tuesday.
Embassies abroad were told to tighten security.
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- Shops were shuttered in Gaza and the West Bank Tuesday
in a sign of mourning. Thousands of mourners streamed into Gaza's main
sports stadium as a booming voice on loudspeakers called for revenge.
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- The killing of Yassin appeared to be part of Sharon's
bid to smash the most potent Palestinian militant group to prevent it from
claiming victory if he goes ahead with a planned withdrawal of troops and
settlers from Gaza.
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- Under a go-it-alone plan if a U.S.-backed peace "road
map" remains stalled amid violence, Sharon has also threatened to
draw a "security line" in the West Bank that would leave the
Palestinians with less land than they seek for a state.
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