Free Republic

Dozens of rockets as well as mortar rounds were fired from the Gaza Strip Wednesday at southern Israeli towns. Hours later the IDF fired tank shells at what it termed “terror targets” in the Strip. Israeli reports put the number of rockets at over 60, and Islamic Jihad, which took responsibility for the attack, said it had fired 90 rockets at Israel. The organization said in a statement that it had launched an ongoing “military operation,” which it termed “Breaking the Silence.” No Israeli casualties were initially reported in the largest attack from the Strip since Operation Pillar of Defense...

India’s own fighter, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), is playing a growing role in protecting Indian airspace. On December 20, when the Tejas was cleared for operational service in the Indian Air Force (IAF), Defence Minister A K Antony declared 200 Tejas fighters would eventually enter combat service. Today, that figure quietly swelled to well above 300, with the government indicating the IAF would have at least 14 Tejas squadrons. Each IAF combat squadron has 21 fighter aircraft; 14 squadrons add to 294 Tejas fighters. The 21 comprise 16 frontline, single-seat fighters, two twin-seat trainers and three reserve aircraft...

A video uploaded to Youtube by an Arab-language user called GazaTube claims to show security camera footage documenting the IAF strike that targeted an Islamic Jihad terrorist in Gaza earlier Sunday. The video appears to show a relatively small explosion, possibly by a missile that had pinpointed its target. A bus that had been driving nearby was also damaged – and, apparently, a donkey was badly hurt as well. The terrorist has been identified as Ahmed Sa’ad, who was seriously injured and taken to a hospital. Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq8j9_wzErA Sa'ad had been riding a motorbike when he was hit by a...

Israeli air force jets bombed trucks carrying Syrian missiles bound for Hizbullah's warehouses in Lebanon, according to Syrian opposition sources. The sources, were cited Sunday by Voice of Israel radio's Arabic-language service, which was quoted by i24 News. The Friday night bombing reportedly targeted a Syrian military base near the town of Quneitra, not far from the Golan Heights cease-fire line. This was the fifth known Israeli attack this year on Syrian weapons bound for Hizbullah. Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad reportedly wants to send the weapons to Hizbullah for safekeeping, out of fears they will fall into the hands of...

IAF Commander, Major General Amir Eshel, spoke Wednesday about the IAF's preparedness for a surprise war scenario with Syria. "A surprise war can come about through many scenarios at present," he said at a conference of the Fisher Institute for National Security in Herzliya. Isolated incidents can escalate very quickly, he explained, and added that "we are committed to being ready in a matter of hours and to operate up to the end of the spectrum."

The United Nations has called on Israel to halt military air patrols over Lebanon amid heightened tensions after air raids on targets in Syria, a UN spokesman said Tuesday. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, had protested after recording an increase in Israeli flights over Lebanon. UNIFIL "says that in the course of the past week it has observed a higher number of Israeli air violations over Lebanese airspace," Nesirky told a briefing, the AFP news agency reported. He added that the flights are a "violation of Lebanese sovereignty and of Security Council...

Pictures emerge showing destruction caused to buildings by airstrikes Syria pledges to retaliate against Israel 'in its own time and way'Threats follow two raids by Israel on Syria in the past three daysVideo footage showed dramatic explosions over Damascus skylineIsrael says it was targeting Iranian-made missiles on the way to Hezbollah Bulldozers are clearing away rubble from buildings razed to the ground by Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, as Syria pledges retaliation for the 'declaration of war'.Pictures have emerged from Syria showing the damage caused to buildings, including some forming part of a chicken farm, by an attack in Al-Hama -...

The Lebanese army said on Friday that eight Israeli warplanes had flown over Lebanon’s airspace in a span of 14 hours, the Daily Star reported. The report said that Israel sends reconnaissance jets and warplanes over Lebanon on almost a regular basis, but the air traffic in the last 24 hours has been unusually high. “At 7:10 p.m. Thursday, two Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace entering above the sea west of Sidon and flying over all Lebanese areas as they conducted aerial maneuvers,” an announcement from the Lebanese army’s general directorate said, according to the Daily Star. The planes left...

An IAF aircraft on Gaza Tuesday morning assassinated a senior Salafist terror activist who was reportedly behind an April 17 rocket attack on Eilat from the Sinai. The IDF and Shin Bet security service confirmed that they had targeted Hithem Ziad Ibrahim Masshal, 24, from the Shati refugee camp. The attack marked the first “targeted strike” on a Gaza terror figure by Israel since November’s Operation Pillar of Defense, and came amid a renewal of sporadic rocket fire into Israel that seemed to show the deterrent effect of November’s operation was eroding.

DAMASCUS, Syria, April 28 (UPI) -- The Free Syrian Army says Israeli air force jets flew over President Bashar Assad's palace and bombed a chemical weapons site near Damascus, Maariv reported. The report said Israeli jets entered Syrian airspace close to 6 a.m Saturday and flew over Assad's palace in Damascus and other security facilities before striking a chemical weapons compound near the city. The Hebrew language daily said a Syrian army air defense battery positioned in the city fired at the Israeli jets, but the aircraft left Syrian airspace unscathed. FSA rebels posted a video showing smoke rising from...

A blast went off in southern Lebanon, near the city of Tyre, late on Sunday night, Al-Arabiya reported, based on local media sources. The blast reportedly occurred after an electronic device exploded in the area. The Lebanese Future TV network said that an “Israeli aircraft might have detonated an electronic transmission device” in the southern area of al-Fawwar. “Hizbullah has cordoned off the area,” Future TV added. The official Lebanese NNA news agency claimed that “Israeli aircraft did not leave the Lebanese airspace over the South all through the day.” Israel’s Channel 2 News, reporting on the explosion, cited a...

IAF warplanes carried out a number of "mock raids" over Lebanese airspace on Friday night, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported. According to the report, beginning at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, the IAF jets flew at low altitude over the towns of Nabatiyeh, Iklim al-Tuffah, Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil. ... Earlier this week, a Lebanese army statement said that four IAF warplanes entered Lebanese air space at 4.30 p.m on Tuesday. ... The statement made no mention of planes entering Syrian airspace but shortly afterward reports emerged that Israeli jets had struck an arms convoy on the Lebanon-Syria border.

2,000 years after Judah the Maccabee fought against the decrees of Greek ruler Antiochus, the descendants of the Hasmoneans and the ancient Greeks are cooperating militarily. For Hanukkah, the IAF Website featured these pictures of Greek-Israeli cooperation in joint maneuvers of the countries' air forces. Cooperation with Greece has tightened following the deterioration in relations between Israel and Turkey...

The IDF hit more than 50 targets in Gaza on Tuesday evening, bringing the total number of strikes in the region Tuesday over 100. Half of the strikes were aimed at terrorist cells that were engaged in firing rockets at Israel. Six known Hamas terrorists and one known Islamic Jihad terrorist were killed over the course of the day. Twenty terrorists were injured in airstrikes as they attempted to fire Grad rockets. Twenty-two percent of Tuesday’s strikes hit rocket launchers that were not manned at the time. Another 8 percent of strikes targeted smuggling tunnels. Four percent targeted weapons stockpiles,...

IAF aircraft struck the branch of the National Islamic Bank in Gaza on Monday night, the Al Jazeera network reported. According to the report, four people were wounded in the airstrike, part of the IDF’s Operation Pillar of Defense. Hamas reportedly uses the bank, which opened in the area in 2009, to pay its terrorists' salaries. Palestinian Authority-based sources also said that the IAF also struck the Rafiah home of Hamas terrorist Raed Al-Attar overnight Monday. Al-Attar’s name was mentioned in recent days as the successor to Hamas arch-terrorist Ahmed Jaabari, whose targeted killing began the operation last Wednesday. It...

The Israeli Air Force has issued a new video showing the pinpoint accuracy of aerial bombings and Hamas’ use of holy sites for terror. Video

In recent minutes, the IAF assassinate Ahmed Abu Jalal, a senior Hamas terrorist, in and air strike. The IAF also hit another car in the strike.

IAF aircraft struck a terror activity center in northern Gaza on Wednesday night, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced. According to the statement, direct hits at the target were detected. All Israeli aircraft safely returned to their bases. The attack came in response to the ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli territory. On Wednesday afternoon, terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza fired a rocket into the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council area. The rocket exploded near greenhouses in the area, causing them damage. No physical injuries were reported. On Tuesday, the IAF carried out a similar attack on a terror activity center in...

The IDF foiled a terrorist attack early Sunday in the third counterterrorist strike in 24 hours, sending a clear massage to Hamas. The Air Force successfully targeted a cell preparing to fire at Israelis, an IDF spokesmen said. The latest counterterrorist measure killed at least one terrorist. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, the Air Force struck a second time in a significant counterterrorist action that eliminated two senior terrorists on motorbikes. They were identified as Jordanian national Sheikh Hisham al-Saedini, 43, also known as Abu Al-Waleed Al-Maqdissi, of the Mujahedeen Shura, and fellow Salafist Islamic terrorist Fayek Abu Jazar,...

The Air Force carried out “mock raids” at medium altitude over southern Lebanon Sunday, hours after Israel said all indications are that Hizbullah launched a drone that was downed inside Israel on Saturday, according to the Arabic language Nahar newspaper. Israel previously has carried out surveillance flights over southern Lebanon, which is under control of the Hizbullah terrorist organization. Sunday’s flights, which have not been confirmed by Israel, apparently were a response to the drone. A Lebanese television station stated that Hizbullah was responsible for the drone infiltration into Israel’s air space, while Iran’s propaganda machine tried to divert attention...