Israel's Spy Agency Chief Quits

The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency submitted his resignation Tuesday after a government inquiry blamed him for the botched attempt to kill an Islamic militant leader in Jordan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the resignation of Danny Yatom, Netanyahu's office said.

Netanyahu gave the final approval for the Sept. 25 attack on Hamas political leader Khalid Mashaal, but was cleared of blame by three investigators he had appointed.

The botched assassination attempt strained relations with Jordan, Israel's only ally in the Arab world. Jordan's King Hussein has said he would only resume security cooperation once Yatom resigned.

A senior Jordanian official speaking on condition of anonymity said Tuesday that Jordan was now considering working with the Israelis again.

Before the crisis, Israel and Jordan had worked together to monitor Islamic militants who threaten the stability of both countries. Jordan's refusal to cooperate with the Mossad had deprived Israel of a valuable source of information.

Pressure for Yatom to step down had also come from within the Mossad.

The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported Tuesday that Yatom's closest aide had refused to talk to his boss, and that other senior Mossad officials had considered asking Netanyahu to fire Yatom.

In a letter to Netanyahu, Yatom wrote that he disagreed with the findings of the inquiry that held him largely responsible for the botched operation.

"At the same time, I have no intention of ignoring the report and as the person responsible for the operations of the Mossad, I decided to submit my resignation to you," Yatom wrote.

In the Mashaal operation, Mossad agents crossed into Jordan on forged Canadian passports and injected the Hamas leader with poison. Mashaal survived, but the agents were caught by Jordanian officials.

The agents were later freed in a prisoner swap for the jailed founder of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, and 20 other inmates.

Written by Danna Harman
©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed