International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Dec. 5, 2002

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon admits that intelligence reports lead him to believe that al-Qaida agents have been operating in Palestinian controlled areas and Lebanon for some time, Israel Radio reported Thursday.

The admission follows reports on Wednesday that members of the Islamic terror network operating in Malta targeted the Israeli soccer team's international match there on October 12. The news surfaced in the wake of last week's terror attacks on Israeli targets in Mombasa, Kenya, believed to be the work of al-Qaida or an affiliated terror group.

The Israel Football Association on Wednesday angrily rejected the reports of a planned terror strike in Malta carried by the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot, saying they could harm Israel's ability to play in Europe.

The Israeli security situation has led the governing bodies of European and international soccer to indefinitely suspend international games from being played in Israel, and the IFA are increasingly finding it difficult to find suitable opponents and venues to play them even if the "home" games are held abroad.

"The publication of unconfirmed reports could cause great harm to Israeli soccer at the international level, damage which will be very difficult to put right in the future," the IFA said in a statement yesterday.

"Soon, no one will want us to play abroad," IFA chairman Gavri Levy said in a radio interview. "With such reports, they will say every country that plays against Israel is in danger of being attacked by al-Qaida."

Levy was speaking by telephone from England, where he was negotiating with international officials on alternate venues for the national team's "home" games. The IFA announced yesterday that Israel's European qualifiers against France and Cyprus in April next year will be played at Watford's Vicarage Road stadium, just outside London.