Barak: Gaza behind attacks

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday accused Gaza of being behind coordinated attacks on southern Israel that left at least six people dead and 25 others wounded; he pledged that Israel would respond. "The source of the terror incidents is Gaza and we will act against them with all our strength and determination," Barak said in a statement, referring to Palestinian militants in the coastal strip. He said the incident reflected the weakness of Cairo's hold on the Sinai peninsula where Egyptian troops began a massive operation to clamp down on militants at the weekend. "This is a very serious terror incident at a number of locations. The incident reflects the weakness of the Egyptian hold on Sinai and the expansion of activity there by terror elements," he said. The Israeli army announced end of clashes in the city of Eilat and the killing of all three attackers who managed to inflitrate onto the city via the Egyptian border.