Jihad Hails ‘Submission’ of U.S., Israel

A statement signed by the Islamic Jihad movement today hailed the “clear submission by America and Israel” to the TWA hijackers and threatened to strike U.S. targets if the Muslim air pirates are harmed.

In a separate phone call to a local news agency, the group also threatened to retaliate against U.S. plans to isolate the Beirut airport by blocking flights by American airlines in the Middle East.

“The latest position taken by the American enemy . . . is American official terrorism against the Lebanese people who must retaliate by closing all the airports in the area to American aviation,” said the caller, identifying himself as a spokesman for Islamic Jihad.

“The hijacking of the American plane has ended with a great victory for the oppressed and a clear submission by America and Israel to the demands of the fighting hijackers,” said an earlier statement signed by the Islamic Jihad Organization and delivered to a Western news agency in Beirut.

Threats Discounted

“It is ironic that there should be a rise in the threatening tone of (President) Reagan and his henchmen, and that those foolish people should make threats which they know they cannot carry out,” the statement typed in Arabic said.

The statement did not refer to a specific threat, but Secretary of State George P. Shultz said Monday that the United States knows the identities of the original two hijackers who seized TWA Flight 847 on June 14 and will take legal or “other” steps to bring them to justice, apparently not ruling out abduction of the pair.

(Israeli military writer Zeev Schiff today identified the two men responsible for the hijacking as Aakal Hamiyeh, military commander of the Amal militia in West Beirut, and Mustafa Dirani, chief of Amal’s security apparatus.

(Schiff wrote in Ha’aretz newspaper that the two were Amal leader Nabih Berri’s rivals in the organization. He said they did not consult Berri but acted on their own.)

The Islamic Jihad, or Holy War, is a name believed used by several pro-Iranian terrorist groups that have claimed responsibility for suicide car and truck bombings against U.S. and other Western installations in Beirut.

13 Kidnapings

Islamic Jihad members are believed to be holding most of 13 foreigners--including seven Americans--kidnaped in Lebanon since March, 1984. Jihad has said it will release them if Muslim guerrillas jailed in Kuwait for a series of bombings against U.S. and other targets in the Middle East are freed.

The Jihad statement said, “Since Muslims are one nation and one hand against others, we cannot stand idle toward the American threats to our oppressed people.

“We therefore proclaim that our fighters, who passionately love martyrdom, have prepared themselves and are ready to send an eloquent message at the appropriate time.

“We also hold the U.S. Administration responsible for any attack that may take place against the oppressed as an act of retaliation by it or its protege, Israel,” the statement said.

“Reagan and his henchmen should stop their buffoonery and hilarious parades and stop supporting Israel. Otherwise we will be a nightmare that pursues them wherever they may be and will strike at their interests in the region and throughout the world,” the communique said. “We have given due warning.”