Israel Matzav

IDF missile destroys Iranian Zelzal rocket on the ground

This evening, one of my sons called me from Yeshiva and said, "Abba, I heard that Hezbullah shot down a plane today." I said, "I'm amazed how you guys hear everything in Yeshiva" (they're not allowed radios, cellphones, televisions or newspapers). "Hezbullah claimed to have shot down a plane - an F-16 in fact - but the IDF denied it and said that if it was anything, it was a drone." My son asked, "Abba, how can you be sure?" And I answered, "Because it has been hours since the report came in. The IDF denied it and that was the last word. If there had really been a plane shot down, you would have heard more about it from Hezbullah."

Now, we know the real story and it's even better than a drone. I've spoken about Hezbullah's rocket-launching capabilities once or twice in the last few days. Well, the Jerusalem Post is reporting that Hezbullah tried to move a Zelzal rocket today - the one with the 200 kilometer range - and the IDF shot the truck that was moving it. The missile flew up in the air and crashed down. Hezbullah thought that what they saw come crashing down was a plane, but really it was one of their rockets. Here's the bizarre story from the Jerusalem Post:

The IDF rejected a Lebanese report on Monday that an IAF fighter jet had been shot down, and said that the army had destroyed an Iranian-made long-range Zelzal missile, which fired into the air and fell back down.

The Zelzal missile is believed to have a range of over 200 kilometers and could, officials said, reach Tel Aviv.

The officials said Israeli aircraft targeted a truck carrying the weapons before they could be launched. The force of the blast sent at least one missile flying into the air, but it fell nearby. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under military regulations.

The truth is stranger than fiction.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:00 PM