Egypt intercepts Grad rockets being smuggled from Gaza to Sinai
Oh my....
Egypt intercepts 3 Grad rockets smuggled out of Gaza into Sinai to be fired at Israel. http://t.co/4p5Xk4G0Jb
— Jonathan Schanzer (@JSchanzer) August 12, 2014
Remember all those years when we couldn't get Egypt to do anything to stop the weapons smuggling?
'Palestinian' terrorists have apparently shot at least two Grad rockets at the southern city of Eilat this evening. No physical injuries or damage have been reported.
A number of blasts were heard in the southern city Eilat on Monday evening.
Israel Police, Border Police and IDF sources were sent to the area to
investigate the source the blasts, an army spokeswoman said.
Channel 2 reported one Grad rocket was found at an open field outside of
the city and another fell inside the city. The IDF could not at present
confirm these reports.
No injuries or damage were reported.
The southern resort city was previously attacked with rockets fired by Islamist militants from the Sinai Peninsula.
Note that I said 'physical injuries or damage.' I don't believe it's possible to live like this in the long run. Having the rockets shot down - even a high percentage of them - is not a substitute for being rocket free.
A policeman inspects damaged cars after two rockets hit houses and
parked cars in Beirut suburbs May 26, 2013 (Reuters / Mohammed Azakir)
In an earlier post, I reported that two rockets had hit a residential neighborhood known as a Hezbullah stronghold in south Beirut on Sunday morning. Russia's RT.com has more details and photographs.
The blasts came after two rockets were launched in Beirut early
in the morning, witnesses said. The attack struck near a car
dealership, the Daily Star newspaper reported. A third rocket
was reportedly launched but did not explode; security forces are
attempting to find it.
Some of those wounded in the attack are Syrians who were
sleeping at the shop, the report added.
Voice of Lebanon radio (LBCI) said the rockets came from a Grad
multiple rocket launcher, hitting the dealership and a nearby
balcony. The report says the projectiles were 107mm caliber, while
the Soviet-made BM-21 Grad is 122mm. The Chinese-made Type 63,
which has a towed launcher as opposed to Grad’s truck-mounted one,
is 107mm.
The rockets were fired from an area east of the neighborhood,
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told the media. The
official said the attack was an attempt to heighten tensions in the
already-disturbed country.
A rocket launcher was discovered in a forested area near the
town of Aitat in Aley district in the approximate area from which
the rockets were likely fired, local media reported.
Israel will be blamed in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1.... Where does the Mossad find these guys? Heh.
The two Grad rockets fired at the southern resort city Eilat last
week were likely fired by a terrorist cell originating from Gaza and
operating at the Sinai peninsula, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said
at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The prime
minister vowed to respond to the attack. "We will not accept this, we
will exact a price," Netanyahu said. "This has been our consistent
policy in the last four years and we will use it now as well," he added.
A Salafi jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday morning.
“The
lions of the Mujahedeen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem
managed to target occupied Eilat with two Grad rockets on the morning of
April 17, and withdrew safely,” a statement posted on jihadist websites
said.
It wouldn't be convenient to admit that Egypt is allowing attacks on us from its territory, would it? So we blame Hamas in Gaza and of course do nothing about it since this attack did not come from Hamas in Gaza. So the terrorists in Sinai get a free pass to keep attacking us.
Here we go again: TwoThree grad rockets slam into Eilat
Two more grad rockets slammed into Eilat - once the safest place in Israel - on Wednesday morning, with one landing in the yard of a home and the other landing in an open area. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Two other rockets landed across the border in Aqaba, Jordan.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said bomb disposal crews located two
grad rockets at two different landing areas. "We've shut down the
airport for security reasons. We'll take additional precautions in the
event of more rocket sirens," he told The Jerusalem Post.
Channel
2 said one rocket fell in the yard of a home, and the second in an open
area. A number of residents reportedly suffered shock.
An
Eilat police spokesman told the 103 FM radio station, close to 9 a.m.
sirens were heard. A number of explosions were heard by residents following the sirens.
Two rockets also landed in the neighboring Jordanian resort city of Aqaba, Israel Radio reported.
The IDF deployed an Iron Dome battery outside the southern resort city at the beginning of the month.
The missile defense battery was stationed there in anticipation of possible rocket fire from the Egyptian Sinai peninsula.
These are coming from the Sinai - Gaza is too far away. Perhaps, President Obama's new best friend forever, Mohammed Morsy, needs to have a fire lit under his rear end so that he will do something about it.
Here's a great post, with nearly all positive comments, from Michael Flaster, who left Amherst College to join the IDF(Hat Tip: Malcolm in comments).
What is their cause? End the occupation? Israel already pulled out of
Gaza seven years ago and has only been rewarded with more terror. The
remaining restrictions on the Gaza Strip are only in place to impede the
smuggling of weapons. (Gaza is already one of the most heavily armed
places on earth per-square mile.) The Hamas Charter proudly pronounces
their cause to anyone who is unsure: “Israel…will remain erect until
Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors….The time will
not come until Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them.” Those on the
left who claim to be champions of human rights do not realize the stark
contrast between Israel and Gaza or any of our neighbors for that
matter. You cannot be openly gay in Gaza. Women there can be arrested
for their own rape. How about life for children? I am not sure if there
is a worse form of child abuse than using your child as a human shield.
Yet, Israel is framed as the human rights abuser. Still, the greatest
tragedy in this conflict may be from those on the left, who in their
confusion, support a totalitarian ideology that hurts the very people
they claim to support.
The best way to support the people of Gaza, and indeed the entire
Arab world, is to support Israel in its struggle against Islamic
extremism. For Israel is the only viable model of a country with
religious tolerance, multiparty democracy, independent judiciary and
free press in a diverse, war-torn region. Israel is an imperfect
democracy, as all democracies are, but the governing ideology is one of
Western, secular liberalism.
I left Netivot the morning of November 21st for a placement interview
with the IDF. About six blocks north of where I was, a bomb tore
through a city bus, forever changing the lives of 23 innocent
passengers. That same day, Israel pushed ahead toward peace, agreeing to
a ceasefire. After the ceasefire began, five more rockets hit southern
Israel. Israel chose not to respond. Sadly, it looks like the rocket
fire will continue until the world demands more from Hamas. Until that
time, Israel will continue to need to defend herself.
It is this past week that reaffirmed my decision to leave the
comforts of study at Amherst College. I am drafting into the Israeli
army to help defend the Jewish people, to defend the democratic and
diverse people of Israel, to ensure the phrase “never again” remains
true and because defending Israel is not just a Jewish cause, an Israeli
cause or Western cause but a humane cause.
Palestinian rocket teams early Sunday, Oct.
28, fired Grad missiles as target finders against Israel’s nuclear
reactor in Dimona. This is reported exclusively by debkafile. They exploded on open ground in the Ramat Negev district southwest of the town of Dimona.
The nuclear plant is only 42.5 kilometers as the crow flies from the
southern Gaza Strip. Saturday night, the Israeli Air Force struck a
Palestinian rocket team in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younes,
killing one Hamas operative and injuring a second critically.
...
It was the second time in three weeks that Tehran was seen to be focusing on Israel’s nuclear plant, debkafile’s
military sources note. On Oct. 6, an Iranian stealth drone which flew
over Israel managed to photograph the reactor building and its air
defense system’s radar. The data gathered was given to Hamas to help
guide its first rocket attack on Dimona.
DEBKA is trying to connect this story to the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian weapons plant in Khartoum. I don't believe that has anything to do with it. Iran - whose service Hamas has apparently joined - has an interest in knocking out Dimona that is entirely independent of what happened in Khartoum.
The remains of a Grad rocket were found on Friday evening, in a mountainous area north of the city of Eilat, the Israel Police said.
Police said they were working on the assumption that this was one of the two rockets fired from Sinai into Eilat on Wednesday, causing powerful blasts that rocked the Red Sea resort city.
Muslim Brotherhood behind rocket attacks on Israel
There were two Grad rocket attacks on Israel from the Sinai Peninsula on Friday night. The remnants of the first one were found near the Ovda army base, south of Mizpe Ramon, while the remnants of the second one were found near Mizpe Ramon.
No one was hurt in either attack. Ynet's military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai noted that the first rocket was apparently fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, adding that the security establishment has ruled out the possibility that it was launched from Jordan.
A senior Egyptian military official denied that the rocket was fired from Sinai, adding that Israel's claims were meant to destabilize Egypt and influence the elections currently being held there.
Israeli security officials say that the rockets that landed on Friday in the area near Ovda and Mitzpeh Ramon, were launched after a request by senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. According to these officials, the rockets were launched from the Sinai Peninsula by a Bedouin unit, according to Hamas orders, even though Hamas itself wasn't the initiator of the launching, but responded to the request of the Brotherhood, who wanted to such an event on the eve of the second round of presidential elections in Egypt. It is yet unclear why the Brotherhood requested such an unusual action, a first military strike against Israel, or whether the strike was aimed at specific sites in the area.
Haaretz goes on to delude itself that the Brotherhood is 'moderate' while presenting abundant evidence otherwise.
So far, the Muslim Brotherhood leaders have presented a moderate stance towards Israel in their talks with the international community, stressing that they had to intention of annulling the peace accords, a position reiterated by presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsi. Still, in the buildup to the elections, Brotherhood speakers have been known to speak fiercely against Israel. In one gathering, in the beginning of May at El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Brotherhood leaders promised, in the presence of Morsi, that the object of the Brotherhood is to liberate Jerusalem. The main speaker at that gathering, Sifwat Hijazi, said that Morsi would liberate Jerusalem and that the Brotherhood's dream was the creation of the "united Arab nations," with Jerusalem as its capital. "Our capital won't be Mecca or Medina, but Jerusalem, millions of shahids will march on the city" shouted Hijazi, "the whole world should know - and we say it clearly - our goal is Jerusalem, we shall pray in Jerusalem, and if not - we shall die as martyrs on its ruins." Another speaker that day said that "tomorrow Morsi will liberate Gaza." A singer sang: "The Jews will not be able to sleep, come, lovers of martyrs, you're all Hamas. Take on arms, and prepare for prayer."
But I guess that the IDF won't be retaliating. We'll wait for the Brotherhood to kill a few Jews first.
A new front in the terror war: Terrorists fire rockets on Eilat from Sinai
Two Grad rockets slammed into Eilat around 1:00 am. No one was hurt. The rockets are believed to have come from Sinai, which is sovereign territory of Egypt, a country with which we supposedly have a 'peace treaty' (and which, of course, we cannot 'insult' by sending troops in to clean up the vipers nest that has formed there since the Hussein Obama administration decided to throw Hosni Mubarak to the dogs).
Police sappers discovered the remnants of a Grad rocket fired at Eilat late Wednesday night. Residents reported hearing explosions in the city.
Large IDF and police forces were sweeping the city, looking for additional rockets and were focusing on the southern neighborhood of Shahmon, where the explosions were heard loudest. Bomb disposal units were taking part in the searches.
No casualties were reported in the attack, but a number of citizens suffered from shock and were treated by Magen David Adom paramedics.
Eilat District Police commander Ron Gertner said the southern city has been on high alert due to the upcoming Passover holiday.
Asked if the rocket was fired from Sinai, Gertner said: "Based on our working assumptions and the (rocket) range, yes."
Gertner added that Eilat has been reinforced with additional security forces who arrived to assist police in handling the aftermath of the rocket fire incident.
Well, yes, this has happened before. But the last time, they were less accurate (two landed in Jordan and two in the Red Sea, and we still had Mubarak who could be relied upon - at least somewhat - to clean it up.
Reports of large explosions had security forces canvassing the city. The remnants of a grad rocket were eventually found on a residential construction site.
The defense establishment believes the fire emanated from Sinai. The police said that so far, no special security orders have been issued for residents and tourists.
One resident, Guy, said he heard three blasts and sirens blaring. Another resident reported hearing a loud blast shortly after midnight.
"The blast sounded like artillery fire because a second later we heard a distant explosion." Rafi reported hearing three major hits. "It didn't sound like firecrackers or anything else, it's a (rocket) hit, we heard a shrieking sound."
What should happen is that Israel should issue an ultimatum to the Egyptians: Either you clean up or we will send the IDF in to clean it up. But that would get in the way of Hussein Obama's reelection bid, wouldn't it?
Despite the supposed 'cease fire,' a Grad rocket landed in Netivot (which is not protected by Iron Dome) on Tuesday night. The rocket landed in a parking lot. One person was lightly hurt and 11 suffered from shock (which is considered less than 'lightly hurt' in the official injury gradations). In response, the IDF hit two Gaza terrorist targets in Northern Gaza and scored direct hits. But Israel Radio is reporting that many politicians are saying that Israel must hit harder - although most qualify that by saying that they do not want a ground invasion (yes, there is talk of that again too).
Israel Radio is reporting a lull in rocket fire after a night in which some 30 rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza. This is a little surprising given that it is now about 8:30 am and the IDF reported at 7:50 am that Iron Dome (which we will have more about in a later post) shot down two rockets on Sunday morning.
Egypt attempted to broker two cease fires during the night. The first was to take effect at 3:00 am, but Islamic Jihad claimed that they did not know about it. According to another report, the 'Palestinian factions' did not agree to the 3:00 am cease fire. Ostensibly, there was a cease fire to take effect at 6:00 am but given this list of rockets, it remains to be seen whether the cease fire holds.
Beersheba residents woke up at 330 am as an alarm sounded throughout the city followed by sounds of explosions. Two rockets landed in open territory outside the city. Around 430 am, a rocket exploded in an open field north of Ashkelon.
Around 6 am, two more rockets were fired at the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council territory while another landed in the region of Lehavim and Rahat.
Here's a video from a damaged apartment in Ashkelon on Saturday night. The man with the white shirt and black yarmulka is the owner, and he says in Hebrew that thank God no one was in the house when it was hit, and while his children are upset, it's only property damage, and that can always be repaired. He actually seems quite calm.
Islamic Jihad threatens escalation in the next few hours; UPDATE: 1 DEAD
Israel Radio reports (11:00 pm) that Islamic Jihad is threatening that Saturday night's rocket fire is only the beginning, and that they will escalate in the next few hours. Four Israelis have been hurt thus far, one moderately to seriously, one moderately and two lightly.
One of two rockets fired at Ashkelon hit a home and directly struck gas containers causing shrapnel to injure one man moderately. Fire crews were dousing the flames. Paramedics were also treating shock victims.
An hour earlier, a long-range rocket fell in a parking lot between two residential buildings in Ashdod. One person was lightly injured and extensive damage was reported.
Ashdod mayor Yehiel Lasri told Channel 2, "Ashdod is under attack, without a doubt."
A Magen David Adom spokesman said: "This was a miracle. It could have ended much worse."
An additional rocket fell in Eshkol, causing damage.
One rocket hit a school in Ashdod which was empty at the time. A further rocket fell in the Gan Yavne Regional Council where passer-by was lightly injured by shrapnel. He was evacuated to hospital.
A rocket also struck the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council - which was also targeted earlier this week, while another slammed into the Pithat Shalom Regional Council.
Iron Dome is only stationed in Ashdod and Beer Sheva right now, and has shot down one rocket all evening.
What could go wrong?
UPDATE SUNDAY 12:00 AM
As Shy Guy notes in the comments and Israel Radio has just reported, 55-year old Moshe Ami of Ashkelon has died from a shrapnel wound in his midsection, which he sustained while getting out of his car to seek cover when the alarm went off in Ashkelon this evening.
Rockets fired from Gaza on Israel's south again (with videos)
Israel Radio is reporting that there is no school anywhere within 40 km (25 miles) of Gaza on Sunday, as 'Palestinian' rocket fire has hit Ashdod, Gan Yavne and Ashkelon. So much for 'Iron Dome.'
Here's a videotape that Islamic Jihad released of the rockets being fired. Let's go to the videotape.
Note, five rockets in nine seconds, which is why Iron Dome is ineffective (we saw that during the summer).
There were two rounds of rocket fire. One around 5:00 this afternoon and one around 7:00 this evening.
Hours after the IDF killed a terrorist cell which was behind the Grad rocket attack on south Israel earlier this week, three rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at southern communities on Saturday. A couple of hours later there was a second rocket barrage. The MDA declared a mass-casualty event.
A man in his 50s was hit by shrapnel sustaining light wounds. He was hit while out searching for his son and was taken to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. One of the rockets landed in a school courtyard in Ashdod causing no injuries. Another landed in an open area near Be'er Tuvia. Later, two mortar shells were fired at the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries were reported. Another rocket fired towards the Negev exploded in an open field near Bnei Shimon Regional Council.
...
A couple of hours later, an additional barrage from Gaza was noted. One rocket hit an 5-story residential building in Ashdod. One person was lightly injured and several suffered anxiety attacks. Damage was caused to the building and several vehicles caught fire. Shortly thereafter a rocket hit a house in Ashkelon. There were no injuries.
The rocket exploded some two meters from the building itself with shrapnel hitting the structure. Vehicles parked outside the building suffered the greatest damage. MDA forces and firefighters are working at the scene. Sappers removed the rocket parts.
...
Minutes before the rocket launch, the Home Front Command instructed residents of the Gaza vicinity areas to remain near fortified areas following in the wake of the IAF attack in Gaza.
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz held a status evaluation with various IDF senior officials and is slated to convene the General Staff's operations forum to discuss implications and a possible reaction. The IDF stressed that the attack on the Islamic Jihad cell was carried out in order to prevent further rocket fire at Israel and not as a direct response to the attack the cell mounted on the Ashdod area earlier this week.
The Home Front Command reissued emergency guidelines and canceled gatherings and conferences of over 500 people in Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gan Yavne and Yavne.
...
Palestinian sources reported Saturday that at least five terrorists were killed and 11 others were wounded after the Air Force struck an Islamic Jihad cell in the Gaza Strip Saturday.
Military officials said the killed terrorists were members of a cell that fired a Grad rocket at Israel earlier this week. The IDF and Shin Bet joined forces in the strike, which saw an Air Force aircraft firing at the terror cells, the army's spokesman said.
One of the terrorists killed is Ahmed Sheikh Khalil, a senior commander in the al-Quds Brigades. Nicknamed 'Abu Hader,' Khalil was a member of the Islamic Jihad's engineering and production unit. In a text message to reporters, the group said it would take revenge for the attack.
Here's some raw video from Ashdod this evening.
Let's go to the videotape.
If this continues, the IDF will have no choice but to embark on another Operation Cast Lead.
'Palestinians' launch Grad rockets at Ashdod, Bnei Aish; IDF troops saved by armored vehicle
A group of IDF troops was saved on Wednesday night when their armored vehicle (pictured above) was struck by a roadside bomb near Efrat (Hat Tip: Soccer Dad via Peter Lerner). No one was hurt.
For the first time since Gilad Shalit was released, 'Palestinian' terrorists shot three Grad rockets at Ashdod and Bnei Aish shortly before midnight on Wednesday night. No one was hurt and there was no property damage. More significantly, however, air raid sirens sounded further north on Wednesday night than has ever been the case from a rocket attack. The sirens sounded in Rechovot and Nes Tziona, both on the outskirts of metropolitan Tel Aviv.
The IDF Spokesman confirmed that one rocket was fired at the Ashdod area. Israel Radio reported that three rockets were fired from the Strip. Police forces were coming the area searching for the landing site.
Sirens were heard in Yavne, Gadera, Rehovot, Nes Ziona and Ashdod. This was first time that air raid sirens were activated in Rehovot and Nes Ziona due to a rocket attack.
There's going to be a war soon folks, and when it happens, the Tel Aviv area is going to be very hard-hit, at least at the outset.
YNet reports that we were a lot closer to war last weekend than most Israelis realize. The war book is ready.
When Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrived at the Defense Ministry Headquarters’ meeting room last Saturday, a thick war book titled “Operation South” was already awaiting his approval on his desk. In those hours, Israel was on the verge of embarking on war in the Gaza Strip.
The book did not pertain to a limited operation. The selected targets would have certainly prompted a major flare-up, including difficult regional implications. Just like in Operation Cast Lead, the political leadership granted immunity to no one in the Strip, regardless of his position or stature.
The detailed plans – the targets, scope, power and timing – would have left Hamas no breathing space and time to debate its response. It would have gone for the jackpot, right away. Indeed, Israel’s war plan included preparations for massive rocket fire from Gaza, including long-range missiles aimed at central Israel in general, and at Tel Aviv in particular.
Last weekend, the General Staff Headquarters looked like on the eve of war. Officials were working around the clock and sleeping in their offices. While formulating the plans, top officials recalled the curse of arrogance of the Second Lebanon War. Back then, the decision to launch a war was taken without sufficient preparation. The military and political leadership decided to deliver a blow, immediately, without taking into account the implications, the enemy’s response, the home front’s condition and the ability to counter rocket barrages. This time around, a full, detailed plan was drafted; it also included the IDF Home Front Command’s deployment. Only then was the scheme presented to the political echelon.
Another lesson learned from the miserable confrontation vis-à-vis Hezbollah is to start such assaults with great fire power, in order to minimize as much as is possible the home front’s suffering. This lesson was already implemented in Operation Cast Lead; in other words, the power utilized during Cast Lead was to constitute the starting point of the next operation.
So what happened? Why didn't we go to war? You can probably guess - fear of how it would look with the UN vote coming up next month. My own view is that we are putting way too much emphasis on a UN vote that is largely meaningless. But it seems like the political echelon is determined to sit pat and absorb the rockets (yes, there were more last night) at least until the UN vote passes. Unless Tel Aviv is hit.
Islamic Jihad vows to send rockets deeper into Israel
The rockets have been flying from Gaza on Thursday night, and the Islamic Jihad terror group is vowing to make them fly deeper into Israel.
A ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza seemed distant Thursday evening as the violence in the south of the country continued with at least 15 rockets and mortar shells exploding in Israeli territory.
The Code Red siren was heard throughout the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils and in Ashkelon as 15 rockets and mortar shells fell throughout those areas, the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement.
No injuries were reported in Thursday's attacks, but their was damage caused to a building in the Erez border crossing at the Gaza border.
In response to the building damage at Erez, the IAF struck a rocket-launching pad in the northern Gaza Strip, the spokesman's statement said.
Palestinians sources said the IAF killed two Palestinians when a missile struck their motorcycle while they were riding in the northern Gaza Strip. It was unclear whether this was the same missile strike as the IDF Spokesperson's Office announced.
While the IDF issued no comment on the strike, a medical source in Gaza said that one of the victims was identified as Salim Khaled al-Arabid, Ma'an reported. Another Palestinian source said the riders were members of Islamic Jihad's militant wing.
At least 20 rockets have exploded in Israel since Tuesday night.
It's time to turn Gaza into rubble. Unfortunately, the Netanyahu government is unlikely to have the guts to do that. But from what we know, the 'Palestinian' terror groups have the capability of firing rockets deeper into Israel.
Again, I have to apologize for erratic posting. I crashed this evening, and when I awoke, I had to run out to a wedding for a short while. The good news is that I should be awake for a while now.
I was too optimistic when I guaranteed that the Gaza cease fire that was declared by Hamas on Monday would not last until the end of the month. It didn't even last until the end of the evening. I'm writing this several hours before you'll see it, but at this writing there have already been three Grad rockets that were shot at Ashkelon and two more that fell in Gaza.
One Kassam rocket exploded on Monday night in an open area in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council after two further rockets exploded earlier in the evening. One of the rockets that fell south of Ashkelon earlier sparked a fire near a kibbutz, and was later doused police said.
The attacks once again placed reports of an unofficial ceasefire in question and have shattered a period of around 8 hours when no projectiles were fired at southern Israel.
Earlier on Monday, Taher a-Nunu, spokesman for the Hamas government, said that the factions in the Gaza Strip and Hamas announced that they are willing to comply to truce, if Israel agrees not to carry out more strikes.
The Popular Resistance Committees, the group Israel says is behind a deadly terror attack last week near Eilat, announced Monday that it would adhere to a cease-fire as an escalation in Gaza seemed to calm. The announcement followed reports that Palestinian factions had agreed to stop firing rockets at Israel.
"We will temporarily stop firing rockets for the sake of our Palestinian people," the terrorist group said in a statement posted on its website, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. The PRC had previously resisted committing to a cease-fire.
Over a dozen rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since Sunday night and the IDF struck back in the Strip at least once. No Gaza-based group took responsibility for the rocket launches. No injuries were reported from the rockets.
It's been a long time since I've pointed this out, but for those of you who are wondering why the terrorists keep trying to hit Ashkelon as opposed to other targets, here is why.
The strike on Ashkelon ... exposes three extremely strategic vulnerabilities certain to alter the tenor of debate within Israel's security cabinet. The sensitive sites include:
The Rotenberg Power Plant, Israel's second-largest generating station which supplies an estimated quarter of the country's needs.
The Ashkelon Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant, the largest desalination plant of its kind in the world. Launched last August, the facility is ramping up to provide an annual flow of 100 million cubic litres of water, an estimated 15 per cent of domestic demand.
The Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company, which controls three oil pipelines reaching to the port cities of Eilat, Ashdod and Haifa.
So a strike in Ashkelon could lead to a real disaster - exactly what the terrorists want.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
