The Israeli government's security cabinet gave the green light on Thursday for operations against "terrorist targets" following a Palestinian suicide bombing that threatened to derail new Middle East peace efforts.
A government statement gave no details of what operations had been approved but said the security cabinet had empowered Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to decide what action to take.
At least 15 people were killed in addition to the Palestinian suicide bomber and 60 others were wounded in the explosion at a packed billiard hall in Rishon Letzion south of Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening, police said.
"The ministerial forum for national security (security cabinet) convened tonight for a special session following the severe terrorist attack last night in Rishon Letzion and a series of other serious attacks thwarted by the security services," the statement said.
"The security cabinet authorised the prime minister and defence minister to decide upon operations against terrorist targets," it said.
A senior Israeli political source said one cabinet minister had raised the idea of exiling Palestinian President Yasser Arafat but it had not even been taken to a vote.
Sharon convened his security cabinet, comprising top ministers including the defence and foreign ministers, after cutting short a visit to Washington to fly home to handle the situation.
US President George W. Bush had urged him to remember his "vision of peace" when responding to Tuesday's bombing but stopped short of calling for restraint.
"He who rises up to kill us, we will pre-empt it and kill him first," Sharon said before leaving Washington on Wednesday.
"Israel will continue to uproot the terror infrastructure."
(China Daily May 9, 2002)
