An Israeli soldier was reportedly killed and ten others were wounded when a Palestinian resistance fighter fired a machinegun at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
Other reports indicated that a soldier was probably dead in the attack.
But Haaretz said that civilians were among the wounded. It said eight soldiers, a student and a foreign worker suffered light wounds, while the attacker was killed by shots fired at him by Israeli troops and police.
AFP quoted Army Radio as saying the man arrived in front of the "defense ministry" in a car, from which he opened fire on Israeli soldiers.
The agency said that the man was killed as he tried to flee the scene and crashed his car into a pole.
However, according to Al Jazeera satellite channel, the Palestinian was arrested after he was badly hurt, and was probably clinically dead.
Reports said that the attacker was an Arab resident of occupied east Jerusalem, aged 30.
Security forces quickly closed off the area of the attack, which took place at the David Gate entrance to the base on Kaplan Street, close to the Azrieli shopping center.
Meanwhile, angry Palestinians will step up their campaign of violence against Israel in response to their enemy's assassination policy, Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo warned Sunday.
Abed Rabbo was quoted by AFP as saying Palestinians would retaliate for recent attacks on high-profile Palestinian leaders and said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would be responsible for the upsurge in violence.
"We feel that the Israeli assassinations will lead to some retaliation and the retaliation is the responsibility of the Israeli government and Sharon personally," Abed Rabbo told reporters at the Palestine Media Center in Ramallah.
"Israel's war crimes will invite retaliation and any retaliation is the responsibility of Israel's government. It's not the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority." – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
