HEZBOLLAH HELPS PALIS IMPROVE BOMBS

Palestinians Improving Quality of Roadside Bombs - Yaakov Katz
Under Hizbullah guidance, Palestinian terror groups in the West Bank have recently obtained high-grade explosives that have significantly improved the effectiveness of roadside improvised explosive devices (IED) used against IDF patrols, senior defense officials said Monday. "The Palestinian IEDs are a point of concern," said one senior official. In 2006, IDF troops discovered 109 IEDs in the West Bank in addition to 11 suicide belts.

At Sunday's cabinet meeting, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin reported growing Hizbullah efforts to establish infrastructure and gain a foothold in the West Bank and Gaza. According to a high-ranking IDF officer, Palestinians were continuing efforts to manufacture and fire Kassam rockets from the West Bank. "They are constantly trying to get the development off the ground," the officer said. "The only reason they fail is that the IDF retains a presence in the territory." (Jerusalem Post)