News a Citizen of Israel Does Not Like to Hear
Israel’s policy of not treating the conflict with the palestinians as a war to be won is paying dividends.
For the terrorists.
The Islamic Jihad terror group has recently began manufacturing rockets capable of reaching a 12.5-mile range, similar to the Grad rockets already in use by terror organizations in Gaza.
The new rockets are armed with a much deadlier warhead that carries double the amount of explosives compared to the regular Qassams, the IDF has recently learned.
According to army data, the terror groups have made use of the new rocket at least three times since the IDF’s Warm Summer Operation in Gaza concluded.
Regular Qassam rockets carry about 11 lbs of explosives and have a 4.5 inch caliber, while the new ones can carry up to 22 lbs of explosives and have a 6.5 caliber. The new rockets are also more accurate and sophisticated and are made out of lighter materials.
The IDF also learned that the armed groups in Gaza have recently obtained two new types of Iranian-made 4.7 inch caliber mortar shells: The first is equipped with an auxiliary engine and can travel up to 6.2 miles, while the other can reach a distance of 3.7 miles.
According to security officials, the new rocket indicates that the terror groups in Gaza have increased their efforts to develop new weapons and that they have been receiving help from agents outside the Strip.
“The fact that they are able to produce their own long-range rockets…is disturbing and worrying,” an army official said.
“There is no doubt that the smuggling of arms through the Philadelphi route and the breached border in the area are a significant weak spot and a major channel for terrorists. As time passes, the terror organizations will continue to become more established and sophisticated,” he warned.
This is why we need(ed) to defeat the terrorists and disarm them, rather than negotiate with them.
The same applies to the terrorists in the north, where the situation is even more worrying.
With Iranian backing, Hezbollah guerrillas have dramatically increased their rocket range and now threaten most of Israel, according to senior Israeli defense officials.
The Lebanon-based militant group has acquired new Iranian rockets with a range of around 300 kilometers (185 miles), the officials said. That means the guerrillas can strike anywhere in Israel’s heavily populated center and reach as far south as Dimona, where Israel’s nuclear reactor is located (notice how AP is reporting this as fact, despite the fact Israel won’t confirm or deny it – ed)
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the confidential intelligence assessment to the media (so why are they divulging it to the media, and thus giving the terrorists information? – ed).
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Israel says that since the war Hezbollah’s Iranian and Syrian patrons have steadily provided the group with large amounts of rockets, many of them capable of hitting central Israel. However, it has not provided any of the evidence for its claims.
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The defense officials did not say how many of the new rockets Hezbollah has obtained. But Israeli officials have said that overall, Hezbollah now has many more rockets in its arsenal than the 14,000 it had before the conflict – likely more than double that number.
Given this assessment and Hizbullah’s recent rhetoric against Israel, I have little doubt they will be attacking us this year. I only hope Israeli lives are not lost, and we are willing to rub the terrorists out once and for all.
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About the Author: An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
I don’t think Hezbula will want another war anytime soon. I think the destruction of their personal homes and properties in the pinpoint bombing of Beirut was a strong deterrent.
The present Israeli government has drawn the line at Ashkelon. They responded with a rapid and effective response into Gaza when the Palestinians started firing grads into Ashkelon.
The Palestinians then backed off of the grads as a result of the military success in Gaza.
Israel should move the line to the Gaza border. Any rocket fire at all is unacceptable. A strong military response like the one we saw to stop the rockets against Ashkelon would stop the rockets against Sderot as well. It would also alert our enemies that they cannot get away with low intensity warfare to wear us down.
I am not sure what military plan is best to completely crush Hamas. It might be longer range including blockades, sanctions, targeted assassinations, and swift military strikes rather than a full frontal invasion.
Whatever the plan is, the government needs to implement it. As you indicated, this conflict needs to be treated as a war. With this understanding, we need to have victory as the goal.
Stan
When are Israelis going to throw away that pussyfied government you have, put some men in charge and do away with arabs and traitors and take, once and for all, the WHOLE territory of Israel? The world is looking down on Israel and her enemies have lost all respect and fear. If anybody thinks this is business as usual, God help you. I would hate to hear people come to speak of the “late, failed, State of Israel”. What other country in the world would take daily a barrage of missiles and wuss away as if this was normal? Grow a pair.
Jorge, there are very few ways to “throw away” a government.
Yes, I would love 2 million people marching right now on the Knesset with pitchforks in one hand and fire torches in the other. Unfortunately, looking out my Jerusalem window, this isn’t happening – yet.
Shy Guy, I find myself agreeing with Jorge and really don’t understand why Israelis haven’t applied more pressure on parties to pull out of the government–a few petitions, a few half-stern speeches, but I too perceive Israel as wimpy, foolishly naive, suicidal. From the lame Winograd report, to the media’s too kind treatment of Olmert and Israel’s leaders in general. Much too little outrage being shown. I really don’t see why it’s so hard to gather 1 million Israelis at least to protest .
The problem in this idea of throwing out a pussy government, as Jorge demands, is that Israel is a true democracy. The reason we don’t “respond” in a way that Jorge sees as being acceptable, a way to end the barrage of missiles and grow a pair, is because Israel really is what we claim her to be: humane, caring for innocents, democratic.
We certainly don’t need to commit genocide in order to be strong.
Shy Guy Says: I’m actually talking about one of those ways. And I know it isn’t happening. I would start looking for a place to live after the fall.
Danny Brothers: I want Israel still standing at the end. I don’t care how you do it. Nobody will remember how it was done. Only who survived. Your point seems to be that democracy is a suicide pact. Then I don’t need it. Win without democracy. Just win. Otherwise start making a tombstone reading “Here lies Israel. She died humane, caring for innocents and democratic”. Oh, and decorate it with arab motives. It will be arabs dancing around it, you know?