Sudan says Israelis hit military factory - San Francisco Chronicle

Khartoum, Sudan --

Sudan claimed Wednesday that Israeli air strikes caused an explosion and fire at a military factory south of the capital, Khartoum, killing two people.

Minister of Information Ahmed Belal Osman told reporters that four aircraft hit the Yarmouk Complex, setting off a huge blast that rocked the capital before dawn.

"Four planes coming from the east bombed the Yarmouk industrial complex," Belal said. "They used sophisticated technology." He didn't elaborate further.

Belal referred to a 2009 attack on an arms convoy in the Red Sea province in eastern Sudan. The government then blamed the attack on Israel, which believes Sudan is a conduit for arms shipments through Egypt to Gaza's militant Hamas rulers. Israel does not comment officially on the issue.

Belal said the complex produces conventional weapons. He said his country has the right to respond.

Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment on the latest allegation.

At the same news conference, military spokesman Sawarmy Khaled said two people were killed and another was seriously injured in the blast. Earlier, officials said some people suffered from smoke inhalation.

The powerful blast at the complex sent exploding ammunition flying through the air, causing panic among residents.

The Cairo-based Arab League said it is closely following the fallout from the attack. Deputy Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed bin Helli said Sudanese officials are in touch with the group and have provided initial reports about Israel's alleged involvement. "We are working to verify them," he said.

Sudan has been engaged in various armed conflicts for many years. The government has been at war with rebels in the western region of Darfur and with its neighbors in South Sudan, which broke away to become Africa's newest country in 2011. Sudan's president, Omar el-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sudan remains a transit for weapon smugglers and African migrant traffickers.

The United States imposed economic, trade and financial sanctions against Sudan in 1997, citing the Sudanese government's support for terrorism, including its sheltering of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s.