Jerusalem: Undeterred by criticism over the killing of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Israel has said it will continue its policy of "target assassinations" and vowed to wipe out the entire leadership of the Palestinian militant group.

Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said Israel's policy of 'targeted assassinations' would continue unhindered.

"If we will continue in a determined way with our strikes against Hamas and other terror groups, with the means I outlined including action against those leaders, we will bring more security to Israeli citizens," he asserted.

Defence chiefs on the other hand are said to have vowed to wipe out the entire Hamas leadership, security sources were quoted as saying by 'Ha'aretz' daily.

The Defence chiefs decided on this course of action during a five-hour marathon meeting yesterday (Mar 22, 2004) to step up targeted attacks, the sources reportedly said. They are said to have told that officials decided to go after the entire leadership without waiting for another attack by Hamas.

Right wing Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, identified with the extreme section in the ruling Likud party, said that no Palestinian terror leader was immune from an Israeli attack.

"Anyone who is involved in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank or anywhere else in leading a terror group knows since yesterday there is no immunity," he said adding, "Everyone is in our sights.

"There is no immunity to anyone. And that means anyone to the last person," he asserted.

In a veiled reference, Hamas officials Abdel Aziz Rantisi and Mahmoud al-Zahar Hanegbi said the list of militant leaders marked for death included "those who appear on television".

The Army also joined issues with Palestinian Authority leadership and Hezbollah with Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon saying that Chairman Yasser Arafat and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's response to the assassination showed "they understand that their turn is drawing near".

The Army's assessment of the situation following the assassination is that the "vacuum" created in the Hamas leadership can lead to short term disturbances but in the long term they will serve Israeli interests.

Ya'alon, putting the Army's perspective said, "Even if in the short term, the assassination increases the motivation to carry out terror attacks. In the long run, the assassination is likely to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip and encourage moderate forces to prevent the founding of 'Hamas-land' in the Strip."