TEHRAN Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is making his final efforts to flaunt his power over the Muslims and occupied territories, killing five Palestinian militants and attacking a Syrian radar base in Lebanon. Late Sunday, Israel killed three Islamic Jihad members. Zionist forces had earlier killed two Hamas members. Israeli warplanes on Sunday bombarded a Syrian radar base in Lebanon, wounding three people and drawing angry reactions from around the Middle East as hopes for calm in the troubled region faded again.

With the actions, Sharon, whose removal is imminent according to rumors, is making efforts to prove what has already been proven, i.e. his being a butcher.

But, the increasing tensions can mean another thing: A justification for the West and those who brought Sharon to power to remove him from the key post.

For the West there is still a dilemma about whether they should oust Sharon or endanger the peace process by letting him complete his term. Removing the hawkish Sharon seems to be the wisest move, though.

It is now obvious that the escalation of violence is a display of force meant to be Sharon's swan song.

Israel and its Western supporters do not want Muslims and Arabs to feel that they have achieved victory and that the Intifada can bear fruits, so they are looking for an excuse to remove Sharon without encouraging the Palestinians.

Certainly, Sharon will soon be removed for his excessive use of force and hindering the peace process, but it is also certain that Sharon wants to go out in a bloody blaze of glory leaving a dreadful image of himself just to teach Palestinians a lesson not to stand against murderers like him.

The presidents of Syria and Lebanon, Bashar al-Assad and Emile Lahoud, agreed to "consult" with one another to respond to Israeli attacks, the official Syrian SANA agency reported Sunday.

In a phone conversation, the two leaders "agreed to pursue consultations and coordination between Syria and Lebanon to face these aggressions," the agency said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi meanwhile, in a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Farouq al-Shara Sunday night condemned the Zionist air attack on the Syrian radar station in Lebanon.

The Syrian president also received a call from his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak who "condemned the Israeli aggression" against a Syrian Army radar position Sunday in Lebanon, SANA said.

The Syrian-backed Lebanese Shia Hizbollah movement responded by pounding an Israeli position in the disputed Shebaa Farms border area with a barrage of rockets and mortar bombs.

Three members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad were killed by Israeli helicopter gunship fire in the West Bank late Sunday, AFP quoted official Palestinian sources as saying.

Two of those killed were identified by witnesses as Jihad members, Mohamed Bichara and Sameh Deib. The body of the third person, badly disfigured, was not immediately identified.

Israeli Radio, quoting Palestinian sources, said the three men had been travelling near the West Bank town of Jenin in a car, which was hit by eight air-to-surface missiles from a helicopter.

Bichara was considered a key Jihad figure in the West Bank. Three weeks ago he was the target of a failed bombing attempt as he was driving in the area.

Also the Israeli Army said it shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank who were members of a five-man commando unit preparing roadside bomb attacks.

Another Palestinian, a 15-year-old boy, died in the Gaza Strip after being shot by Israeli soldiers on Friday in clashes between troops and stone-throwers, hospital sources said.

The tensions are so high that the Cable New Network yesterday said Israelis residing in the United States fear going to their country.

On Monday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) carried out two car bombs not far from Tel Aviv Airport Monday.

The group said its armed wing, the Wadiah Haddad Martyrs, had set off the bombs in the center of the town of Yehud "to avenge the death of the five Palestinian militants killed Sunday."

Meanwhile, Sharon canceled his trip to Belgium as the country which currently holds the European Union presidency started investigations in connection with lawsuits lodged against the Zionist prime minister.

Sharon said he canceled the trip to protest the Belgian court's action, but sources said that anti-Sharon demonstrations had been planned in Belgium and that the court would be under pressure to arrest Sharon.

Sharon is accused of war crimes for masterminding the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon.