Posted on 07/08/2014 4:50:49 PM PDT by SJackson
The attack represents the longest-range rocket strike by Hamas on Israel to date. It came amid a heavy barrage of dozens of long-range rockets directed at greater Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The long-range projectile fired by Hamas in Gaza at Hadera is an M302 Syrian-produced rocket, according to initial analysis on Wednesday of the remains of the rocket fired at the city on Tuesday.
The attack represents the longest-range rocket strike by Hamas on Israel to date. It came amid a heavy barrage of dozens of long-range rockets directed at greater Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as Ashdod, triggering air raid sirens across the country. One rocket fell in Jerusalem, but failed to cause injuries.
In March, the Israel Navy intercepted an Iranian arms ship destined for Gaza, which included 40 Syrian made M302 rockets that had a range of between 90 to 160 kilometers.
Palestinian rockets continued to pound southern Israel throughout the day, with some 120 projectiles striking by the evening. Iron Dome intercepted 23 rockets, shooting down rockets over Ashdod, Ashkelon and Gaza border communities.
The army began calling up the 40,000 reserve soldiers the cabinet approved for Operation Protective Edge, launched the previous night to stop the rocket fire from Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz asked for the 40,000 soldiers in order to replace conscripted forces in the West Bank, thereby enabling their deployment to the Gaza border.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon brought the request to the cabinet, and the ministers approved it. By Tuesday afternoon, the IDF had begun issuing reserve notices.
Following high-level security deliberations on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided to expand the military operation in the Gaza Strip, including beginning preparations for a ground offensive. No time limit was put on the operation, but senior political officials said it could be “for a long time.”
The objective, according to the officials, is to return quiet to the South, but the equation that “quiet would be met with quiet” was no longer the operative principle.
During the day, Netanyahu spoke to a number of world leaders to explain Israel’s position. The IDF had called up 1,500 reservists on Monday, many of them border police who replaced conscripted infantrymen in Judea and Samaria, and some Home Front Command officials. Other reserves called up are combat unit headquarters staff, tasked with managing vital logistics and communications needs.
Operation Protective Edge saw the IAF strike some 100 terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, and came after more than 250 rockets and many mortar shells were fired at communities in southern Israel in recent weeks.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said that Hamas chose an escalation with Israel and that other terrorist organizations have joined it. “We will now activate all of our force and take all the time that is needed in various stages in order to reach victory,” Gantz said.
“There may be surprises; there may be rocket fire here or a terrorist attack and difficulties there. We must be prepared for all possibilities,” the army chief warned. “We must continue the mission, for as long as necessary... The public is resilient and stable. It trusts the military and expects it to act.
“We will accomplish goals against Hamas, hurt it badly, remove its capabilities, defend our civilians and our country, and we will exact from Hamas the full price of the strategic mistake that it has made,” Gantz said.
Meanwhile, the Israel Air Force struck 150 targets in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians reported casualties from a number of the strikes.
Some 100 underground rocket launchers and 10 attack tunnels were among the targets.
Three homes in Gaza used by Hamas as command and control centers for enabling rocket fire were also among the targets.
The homes belonged to Hamas members Muhammad Sba’at, a senior member its rocket-launching formations in Beit Hanun on the northeast edge of the Strip, who was involved in several recent attacks; Amin Ibrahim al-Alba’an, a Hamas member; and Abu Jarad, a Hamas member from northern Gaza who has been engaged in terrorism against Israel.
Oh that’ll get a reaction.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Congratulations to John F. Kerry and the Department of State for bringing back the conditions necessary for yet another war of extermination against Israel. Perhaps Obama, with Kerry’s expert assistance can engage the ISIS in this noble effort. Now would be the right time to discontinue all aid to Israel so as to assist the hard pressed Palestinians. After all, without the Jews, there won’t be anything to fight about in the Middle East.
Pleny of Christians to fight about. They’re doing it now, weekly slaughter, doesn’t make the papers so I guess it doesn’t make Kerry’s briefings.
Well yeah, they’ll have to be killed along with any apostate Muslims, Shia, Sufi, and other evil cults and, then of course they’ll have to kill all of us. Then there will be peace.
Not necessarily so. If there were only two people left on earth and they both were muslims of the same sect, they would do their best to try to kill each other ... only thing they know.
Bounce the rubble!
Time
For
A
Disproportionate
Response.
I wish Israel would just go in and decimate Gaza. The world is going to be against them regardless, as this is more spiritual than anything else. As long as they’re going to be the “bad guy”, they may as well make themselves a little safer.
You got me. ;-)
While I don’t disagree with your sentiment, the question remains what to do with it. A shame they can’t send the Arabs to Jordan, import Mexicans and Central Americans, and invite the gaming industry to invest. Great beaches, Monaco couldn’t compete.
I agree, though what constitutes a disproportionate response to the world might not fit you definition or mine.
There’s no problem of what to do with it, Israel is crowded and real estate is at a premium.
kaboom
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.