Sharon vows to defend Israelis if attacked

The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, says he will ignore American objections and respond with force against Iraq if any Israeli civilians are killed or weapons of mass destruction are used against the Jewish state during another Gulf war.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post yesterday, Mr Sharon disagreed with the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who had told Congress that if Israel was attacked during a US-led assault on Iraq, then it should not respond.

"If Iraq attacks Israel but does not hit population centres or cause casualties, our interest will be to not make it hard on them," he said. "If, on the other hand, Israel is harmed, if we suffer casualties, or if non-conventional weapons of mass destruction are used against us, then definitely Israel will take the proper actions to defend its citizens." He did not say what kind of response might follow.

During the 1991 Gulf war, the then prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, bowed to pressure from the US not to retaliate after Iraqi Scud missiles fell on Israel, for fear it would weaken the support of Arab governments for the war.

Mr Sharon said he believed the Americans understood the need to prevent similar attacks on Israel if there was another assault on Iraq.

"Israeli citizens cannot be exposed to harm without Israel acting to defend its citizens," he said. "I believe that this point is clear in Washington."

Mr Sharon went on to say that he believed the greater threat came not from Saddam Hussein, but Palestinians whom he claimed planned to take advantage of a war in Iraq to kill more Israeli civilians.