Following Saddam Hussein's threats, Israel reopens gas mask distribution centers

The Israeli civil defense bodies said yesterday that they are reopening gradually all the distribution centers for gas masks.

Yaeerd Roudi, the official in the air defense units said that six centers were opened for distributing the gas masks and that all the other centers will be opened within days following the threats stated by the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein two weeks ago to launch attacks and the declaration of Iraqi forces movement toward Jordan.

On the other hand, Colonel Jolan Jelead, the Israeli official in charge of the masks distribution process said that "any Israeli person could come to the distribution centers to make sure that the masks and the protection preparations are still working or to change some parts and the mask's size."