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American Morning

Israeli Attack Helicopters and F-16s Continue Retaliatory Strikes Against Palestinian Targets

Aired February 11, 2002 - 07:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, more violence in the Middle East to talk about. Israeli attack helicopters and F-16s continued retaliatory strikes against Palestinian targets earlier this morning. The airstrikes were in response to an unprecedented rocket attack by the Palestinians and a deadly shooting by two gunmen that left two Israeli soldiers dead.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us now from Jerusalem with the very latest -- good morning, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

And it is a very volatile moment in an increasingly precarious situation here. That Israeli air strike launched by Apache helicopters followed by F-16 warplanes pounding the central Gaza military headquarters. That's a security headquarters with a number of prisons there, too, in the heart of Gaza City, the urban hub of the Gaza Strip. And this, Israel showing increasingly less and less restraint in its actions against the Palestinians, perhaps a sign of things to come.

This latest attack left -- several doze people were wounded, none of them reportedly seriously, most suffering from shrapnel damage. But certainly it's left Palestinians worried.

But the Israeli military command pointedly staying that today's attack, which seemed to have been a very powerful bombardment, coming in response to the firing of a lone missile yesterday from Gaza into southern Israel. Now, this was a missile dubbed the Kasam II. And it's a homemade missile made by the Islamic group Hamas, launched into southern Israel. It didn't cause any damage, but it is a warning that the Israelis say they have, if such missiles land in Israeli territory, then -- and in Israeli areas, then they will launch very vigorous attacks against the Palestinians in response.

Now, this attack this morning came after last night. The Israelis launched three major air attacks into Gaza, that after that missile strike but also in retaliation for a deadly strike by Palestinian gunmen in the southern desert town of Beersheba in which the gunmen, before they were shot dead by other Israeli soldiers, managed to kill two Israeli women soldiers and wound at least five other Israelis, four of them seriously.

So a series of deadly attacks and all this leaving the situation very, very precarious, indeed -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jerrold, the Associated Press reporting this morning that there were hundreds of Palestinians literally that went to a compound where Islamic militants were being held and demanded their release. Can you confirm that?

KESSEL: There is a lot of confusion. This is that same compound in the heart of Gaza City and it's still an unfolding situation there and we're not actually able to clarify precisely the situation. After those Israeli bombardments into that central security area, which does house at least three prison facilities in the heart of Gaza City, there were reports, indeed, as you say, of hundreds of Palestinians approaching that complex and demanding the release of the Palestinian militants whom Yasser Arafat's police have detained.

Then we had reports that the police had, indeed, released the Palestinian prisoners, saying that they feared for their lives as a result of the Israeli air strike.

It's not clear whether the prisoners were released because in the last half hour there have even been gun shots exchanged there between the Palestinian police and some of the crowd as they try to demand the release of those prisoners. Not at least, at all clear if the prisoners have been released, if this was willingly done or under the pressure of the Palestinian crowd.

Still an unfolding situation which is a result of this Israeli air strike in the heart of Gaza City -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jerrold, we'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

Thank you for helping try to clarify that for us this morning.

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