Israel Matzav

IAF knocks out Hezbullah missile command in Tyre

HaAretz is reporting that the IAF knocked out Hezbullah's missile command in Tyre. The command center in Tyre was responsible for most of the casualties from Hezbullah rockets in Israel.

The regional command center was located on the 12th floor of a Tyre building on which the IAF scored a direct hit and destroyed.

Hezbullah maintains several regional command centers in southern Lebanon similar to the one destroyed on Thursday. The organization calls them 'planning units'. The unit in Tyre controlled a large number of 220mm rockets that were manufactured in Syria, and that had caused most of the Israeli civilian fatalities.

It is not yet clear how much the attack will damage Hezbullah's bombardment capabilities against Haifa and its surroundings. Tyre will continue to be a target for the air force.

The attack against Tyre did not affect Hezbullah's ability to launch short-range rockets against northern Israel; most of its rockets in southern Lebanon are short-range, and Hezbullah continues to launch about 100 rockets daily, most of which fall in empty fields.

Hezbullah may yet try to carry out previous threats by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and launch Zelzal-1 rockets against targets south of Haifa. The missile is capable of ranges of 125 km.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:55 AM