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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scoobah who wrote (1328)	12/25/2001 4:00:11 PM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

IDF soldier killed, 3 others hurt in shooting near Jordan border By Amos Harel, Ha'aretz Correspondent and agencies Michael Sitbon, 23, killed in the attack near the Jordanian border. (Photo: Reproduction Photo) An IDF soldier was killed, and three other soldiers were injured, in a shooting attack Tuesday morning near the Jordanian border not far from the northern town of Beit She'an. Two of the injured are in serious condition, while a third suffered light wounds. The Israeli killed in the attack was Sergeant (res.) Michael Sitbon, 23, from Beit Shemesh. He will be buried at the Ashdod Cemetery at 1 PM on Wednesday. After a heavy exchange of gunfire, IDF search efforts - in which combat helicopters also participated - uncovered two bodies in the area which are believed to be among the attackers. Next to their bodies were found blankets, binoculars and other supplies. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attacks began around 7 A.M. when the gunmen opened fire on an IDF patrol along the Jordaninan border near Bet Yosef. During this initial attack, an IDF soldier suffered serious injuries after being shot in the chest. He was evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. It was after this initial attack that a large number of IDF troops were then brought to the area and began searching for the perpetrators. Israeli search efforts were coordinated with the Jordanians, who carried out their own search efforts on their side of the border. At one point, the security fence on the border was opened and IDF troops began searching in the thick vegetation on the west side of the Jordan River. Shots were suddently fired at the soldiers. Grenades were also thrown at them. It was in this exchange that Sitbon, who was commanding the unit, was killed. Two other soldiers were wounded - one seriously and the other lightly. It is believed that the attackers were probably Palestinian and had been hiding in the area for several days before carrying out the attack. During that time it is likely that they followed the movements of IDF patrols along the border area. Reuters and The Associated Press reported Israeli security sources saying that Israeli forces had crossed into Jordan in pursuit of the gunmen. Jordanian troops assisted in the chase, allowing the Israeli soldiers to search in the area. Jordan denied reports that Israeli troops had entered Jordan in pursuit of suspected Arab gunmen. A Jordanian government spokesman said the shooting incident took place on the Israeli side of the usually quiet border with Jordan at around 6:45 AM (0445 GMT). Jordanian Minister of State Saleh Qallab said no Israeli forces had crossed the border. "There is no hot pursuit...and we do not know where the infiltrators came from but there is no proof they crossed from Jordanian territory," he told Reuters. This is the first incident of its kind on Israel's border with Jordan in more than a year. The incident Tuesday occurred not far from where seven Israeli girls were shot and killed by a deranged Jordanian soldier in 1997. There is close security cooperation between Israel and Jordan, and the Jordanians have prevented attacks on Israelis in the past. Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994.