World IN BRIEF : ISRAEL : Remark on Chemical Arsenal Clarified

A day after suggesting that Israel is capable of responding to Iraqi threats with chemical weapons, Israeli Science Minister Yuval Neeman said his remarks were distorted and that he does not know if the Jewish state has a chemical arsenal. Neeman’s comments had prompted Washington to call for clarifications. He explained on Israel radio, “What I said was that the answer (to an Iraqi threat) should then be in kind. In kind could be heavy bombardment.” Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, boasting of advanced chemical weapons, threatened earlier this year to incinerate half of Israel if it attacked an Arab state.