Hamas rockets has caught Israelis by surprise

-
Palestinian militants have fired some 1,800 rockets from Gaza at Israel this week, far more than in previous clashes, according to Israeli officials, who on Thursday expressed surprise at the size of the barrage and the range of some of the rockets.

Israel’s “Iron Dome” antimissile system has shot down many of the rockets, and many others have struck places where they could do little damage. But some of the rockets, which are unguided, have hit populated areas, blowing up buildings and cars and killing seven people in Israel.

The increasingly sophisticated arsenal of rockets is the primary weapon of Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. Other groups there, like Islamic Jihad, also have them. Israeli intelligence estimates there are 30,000 rockets and mortar projectiles stockpiled in Gaza.

Hamas was believed before this week to have rockets with ranges approaching 100 miles, and many more with shorter ranges. Israel’s largest cities, Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, as well as its primary airport, Ben Gurion airport, are within 40 miles of Gaza. The airport has been closed to incoming passenger flights because of the danger, with flights diverted to Ramon airport to the southeast.

But rockets have also been fired at Ramon, more than 110 miles from the nearest part of Gaza. A Hamas spokesman said the rockets aimed at that airport were a new type that could travel 155 miles, putting all of Israel within range of Gaza. The claim could not be verified, and it was not clear how many of the new rockets the group had.

In recent years, most of the rockets have been made in Gaza, with technical assistance from Iran that Hamas has openly acknowledged.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Detention of former Saudi crown prince 'risks west security'

-
Image
  The detention of the former crown prince of Saudi Arabia in breach of international law is weakening the security of both the kingdom and the west, a cross-party investigatory panel of British MPs has found. Mohammed bin Nayef was arrested in March as part of a consolidation of power ordered by the current crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The panel found that, since March, Bin Nayef had lost a significant amount of weight. He is “suffering from pains in his joints, particularly his knees, making it difficult for him to walk comfortably without assistance, and there is evidence of damage to his feet, adding to the pain in walking”, the panel found. The panel also claims evidence submitted to it shows “he has not been able to contest his detention before an independent and impartial judge, has no access to a lawyer to discuss his situation and his case has not been reviewed to determine whether it is appropriate to continue his detention”. He has not been allowed to see either his fa
Read more

Zelenskyy ‘not afraid’ after Putin’s moves

-
Image
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his countrymen ‘are not afraid’ after Russia moved to recognise the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and hours later said it would deploy troops there to “maintain peace”. An urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council took place on the deepening Ukraine crisis as the US said the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin was an “unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Western countries have repeatedly warned Russia not to officially recognise the separatist regions in Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia has been massing its forces around Ukraine’s borders for weeks, raising concern among the US and other Western governments that it might be planning to invade the country. Moscow has insisted it has no plans to do so.
Read more

Watch what Bibi said to Trump when Trump started self praising

-
 After announcing the normalization agreement between Israel and Sudan on on Friday, October 23, 2020, President Trump called his best friend Bibi to start self praise, but he was left stunned on how Bibi responded. Here is a portion of their conversation: Trump: They’re also poor. Iran is poor. Hamas is poor. They’re all poor. And they weren’t poor three years ago. They were blowing everything up. They’re very poor. Do you think Sleepy Joe could have made this deal, Bibi? Sleepy Joe. I think — do think he would had made this deal? Somehow, I don’t think so. Netanyahu: Well, Mr. President, one thing I can tell you is we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in America. And we appreciate what you’ve done enormously. Trump: Yeah. Netanyahu: We appreciate very much what you’ve done. Trump: Yeah. Even Netanyahu being Trump's best friend is not sure weather he will remain in the White House or not. Poor Trump...! Vote Smart Election Day is close.
Read more