HIZBULLAH KIDNAPPED ISRAELI-ARABS

Hizbullah abducted Israeli-Arabs
Hizbullah kidnapped and later released two Israeli-Arabs last month in order to try and extract from them intelligence information about Israel, defense officials said on Thursday. Hizbullah abducted on April 7 Mohammed Muki Ben-Jamal and Nuef Maharj Ben-Ali, both 30 and from the Israeli-Arab village of Rajar on the Israel-Lebanon border. They said they were held for four days in harsh conditions and were beaten and interrogated day and night.

Defense officials estimated gunmen had kidnapped them to prod them for intelligence information on Israel. The Shin Bet, which interrogated the men after their release, found they had not revealed anything that could compromise Israel's security.