Israel Claims It Stopped Terrorist Attack on US Embassy

Three men were recruited by an operator working on behalf of Al Qaeda

JERUSALEM – Israel's internal security agency said Wednesday it arrested three Palestinians for allegedly planning to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem International Convention Center and other targets.

The Shin Bet intelligence agency said the three men, two from Jerusalem and one from the West Bank, were recruited by a Gaza-based operator working on behalf of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri.

Aviv Oreg, an Israeli expert on al-Qaeda and Global Jihad, called the thwarted attack "very serious."