Islamic Jihad To Plant Iraq-Style Cell-Phone Bombs In Israel

The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad has sought to develop improvised explosive devices similar to those assembled by Sunni insurgents in Iraq. Israeli security sources said the Iranian-sponsored Jihad has been experimenting with IEDs that could be detonated by a cellular phone. The sources said Jihad planned to plant numerous IEDs in urban areas throughout Israel that could be operated by the group's growing network in the Jewish state. ‘Jihad has sought to move away from the sole use of suicide bombers,’ a security source said. ‘The organization wants to copy the Iraqi model in which IEDs are planted and detonated daily at stand-off ranges.’ The Jihad project has been assisted by Hizbullah, which developed a range of IEDs for use against the Israel Army in Lebanon in the 1990s, Middle East Newsline reported. Hizbullah has relayed shaped-charge IEDs components and technology to insurgents in Iraq.