“Most Extensive Terror Alert Ever”: S. Israel In Lockdown Against AQ Attacks From Egypt
Debka:
Most highways of the southern Negev - which adjoins the Egyptian Sinai frontier - were ordered shut to civilian traffic early Saturday, Jan. 26, until further notice. This is Israel’s most extensive terror alert ever, DEBKAfile’s military sources report. The big Israeli and American air and military bases in the region are on high terror alert and officers’ families are being removed to central Israel, following intelligence warnings that Hamas, Jihad Islami and al Qaeda are preparing to launch suicide operations across the porous Egyptian border from N. Sinai.
Israeli military forces have spread out across the southern region, checkpoints set up on the highways, lookout positions posted, and helicopters and drones are on constant surveillance.
DEBKAfile’s sources in the south report that Eilat, Israel’s southernmost town and Red Sea port is not entirely cut off; the eastern Highway 90 is open to traffic although Highway 10 which follows the Egyptian Sinai frontier is closed.
So too are 221 and 222 and parts of Routes 40 and 12. Israeli units have been deployed to block off to terrorist access to the southern towns of Eilat, Mitzpeh Ramon, Kfar Yeruham, Beersheba, Arad and the villages and military installations located in the Negev and Aravah regions. Popular tourist nature reserves and beauty spots are closed.
The latest intelligence input speaks of an ingathering in Sinai of al Qaeda cells from Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. They are heading for the Egyptian-Israel frontier, which Egyptian border forces have abandoned to focus on the anarchy on the Gaza-Egyptian border Hamas generated by knocking down the border wall. One-third of Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinian inhabitants has flooded into N. Sinai in a disorderly exodus.
DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources disclose an ominous symptom: Al Qaeda has appointed an “emir” for the Gaza Strip, the customary military commander appointed when the jihadist group goes into operational mode.
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Get ready Hamas….any more foolishness and the IAF will bring the rain and you won’t like it one bit.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:30 amI thought AQ had their hands full in Iraq. Thats all they need, the US and the Israelis hunting their asses. If AQ attacks I think Israel will trace where the weapons and financing came from and bomb them too. This should be interesting
January 26th, 2008 at 7:49 amThe one thing that Arabs never do is coordinate their strikes. If this is a coordinated effort by Hamas and AQ, it represents a new strategy. However, any excuse to kill the mustifoon, works for me.
Kill them…I hope the IDF has a field day.
January 26th, 2008 at 7:57 amthis is actually great news from one strange point of view. it means that they are moving toward a more organized, conventional warfare strategy. that will make it much easier for israel to track their movements and engage them.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:22 amThis is one of those scenarios
While hordes of civilians push across the border a message is passed along stating (Hamas, Jihad Islami and al Qaeda) are preparing to launch suicide operations
Think a plan was in the making for chaos without a single terrorist being there
January 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pm