Israel Matzav

'Mohammed Deif wasn't killed and we'll kill anyone who says he was'

Fox News is reporting that according to Israeli intelligence officials, Mohammed Deif was killed in Tuesday night's airstrike on his home (or was it the rocket division commander's home?) in Sheikh Redwan.

Hamas' military chief is believed to have been killed in an airstrike in Gaza early Wednesday, Israeli intelligence sources tell Fox News.

Israeli officials said Wednesday the country's military targeted Mohammed Deif after militants fired rockets at Israeli cities just hours before a temporary cease-fire was set to expire.

The Times of Israel reported that a house believed to be the home of Deif was hit early Wednesday. Dief has escaped numerous Israeli assassination attempts in the past. It was not immediately clear whether he was there at the time of the attack.

In Cairo, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, said that among those killed in the airstrike on the three-story house in Gaza City were Deif's wife and a child. Three others in the building were also killed.

Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said Israel was "unable to get to our commander Deif," saying he will "lead the army that will enter to liberate the holy al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem.

Hamas is also warning foreign airlines not to fly into or out of Ben Gurion Airport after 6:00 am Thursday morning. 

"We are warning international airlines and press them to stop flying into Ben Gurion airport from 6 am (0300 GMT) Thursday," Al Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida stated Wednesday, in a televised speech.

The move marks yet another Hamas 'scare attempt' aimed at harming Israel's economy and security reputation, after a rocket hit near Ben-Gurion airport last month scared international airlines into canceling flights for several days. 

The cancelations followed a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on American carriers flying to Israel; several European companies followed suit, as had those from Turkey and Jordan. Israeli national carriers maintained their usual flight schedules.

Overall, however, the move was hailed as a "great victory" for the terror group.

"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said last month.

It will be interesting to see if the FAA bans flights to Israel again. Just yesterday, the instituted a ban on flights to Syria. It only took three years. But no, it's not political, is it?

Labels: Ben Gurion Airport, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Mohammed Deif, Operation Protective Edge

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:53 PM