After a long period of relative quiet, Israel´s enemies have renewed attacks on Israeli targets overseas, trying to register as many deaths as possible. As a result, Israel, particularly the Mossad and the Shin Bet, will have to reorganize outside the country´s borders - and not only in a defensive posture.

The assessment of yesterday´s two attacks in Mombasa, Kenya - one on an Arkia plane taking off to Tel Aviv and the second on the Paradise Hotel - was the work of a group with connections to Qaida. And there are investigations already under way probing the link between Qaida and Hezbollah.

An announcement claiming responsibility for both attacks was made by a group unknown till now - the Army of Palestine - to Al Manara, Hezbollah´s TV station in Lebanon. The language of the announcement was more than just a hint that Hezbollah is aware of the identity of the group and its leaders.

In previous contacts between Hezbollah and Qaida, Osama bin Laden´s group has shown interest in the Lebanese organization´s activities and has initiated meetings between officials of both groups.

The assessment that Qaida, or more precisely, the World Jihad, is behind the Kenya attacks is based on the terrorists´ modus operandi: focusing on large targets to achieve a "mega-terror" event with many victims, more than one target (the hotel and the aircraft), an attack involving a suicide mission, extensive and comprehensive intelligence gathering for the purpose of achieving maximum effect.

Yesterday´s attacks have revived the problem of foreign attacks on official or semi-official Israeli targets. The last major attacks of this nature took place in Buenos Aires: over 100 people were killed in the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center and the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy. Those attacks were perpetrated by Hezbollah, with Iranian help.

Foreign attacks on Israeli targets is not the responsibility of the Israel Defense Forces, but rather of the Mossad and Shin Bet, which focuses on security and defensive measures. But clearly, the matter will not end there. In addition to massive intelligence gathering, the Mossad now will certainly take a more offensive approach.

Under the new circumstances, it will be necessary to reexamine the presence of Qaida activists who arrived in Lebanon from Afghanistan and are now in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein Hilwe, south of Sidon in Lebanon, close to the Israeli border. That group must be regarded as a loaded gun that will eventually fire - at Israel. Investments will have to be made in defensive measures so as not to expose that front.

Security overseas is focused on official and semi-official Israeli installations, the protection of Israeli airlines and other forms of transport, and VIPs traveling overseas. Aside from providing guidance, the state´s security forces do not provide security for Israelis, per se, traveling overseas. That was evident yesterday when the security officers were busy protecting the plane and the passengers on their way to the plane at the Mombasa airport, but not the hundreds of Israelis who were gathered at the Paradise Hotel, which became a target for suicide bombers.

A separate issue is that of defending planes, during take-off and landing, from shoulder-launched missiles. In past attempts of using such missiles to hit Israeli planes, the perpetrators were caught, usually with the missiles, which were primarily old Strella missiles. In one case, the putative attackers were captured and brought to Israel, where they were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

There are a few ways to protect a large passenger plane from such missiles. In 1977, the counter-terrorism aide of former premier Menachem Begin, Amihai Feiglin, began work on finding alternative means for protecting passenger planes. However, he was killed in a car mishap shortly after undertaking this effort.

More recently, former transportation minister Ephraim Sneh allocated a budget for developing a system intended to foil shoulder-launched missiles aimed at large civilian aircraft. The system is being developed at Rafael, the state-owned weapons development and research corporation. Other Israeli corporations are involved with the effort, and the system already has been shown to a major American corporation. (© Copyright 2002 Ha´aretz 11/29/02)