Iraq al Qaeda claims Israel attack: Web

DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda in Iraq said it had launched
missiles at Israel from Lebanon as part of a “new attack” on
the Jewish state, a statement posted on the Web said on
Thursday.

“The lion sons of al Qaeda launched … a new attack on the
Jewish state by launching 10 missiles … from the Muslims’
lands in Lebanon on selected targets in the north of the Jewish
state,” said the statement, attributed to al Qaeda and posted
on an Islamist Web site.

It appeared to be the first claim of responsibility from al
Qaeda for an attack on Israel from Lebanon. The statement could
not be authenticated, but was posted on a main Web site
frequently used by Iraqi insurgent groups.

The statement did not give the date of the attack.

It was not immediately clear if the group was referring to
a rocket strike which wounded three people in an Israeli border
town late on Tuesday, or some other attack.

Israeli warplanes attacked a Palestinian guerrilla group’s
training camp in Lebanon in response to that rocket attack.

“This auspicious attack was a response by the mujahideen
(holy fighters) to the oath by the mujahid sheikh Osama bin
Laden, leader of al Qaeda … which the (Jews) and idolaters’
servants in Muslim countries failed to grasp. The future shall
be more bitter and more harsh,” said the statement.

In August, Iraq’s al Qaeda said it was behind a failed
rocket attack on U.S. Navy ships in Jordan’s Red Sea port of
Aqaba.