Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said Hezbollah has rockets that can reach as far as 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) or more, which would bring more Israeli cities, such as Hadera, within range. (AP)
Hezbollah rams Israeli warship with drone, 4 sailors missing in action
By israelinsider staff and partners
July 15, 2006
After hitting an Israeli warship with an unmanned aircraft rigged with explosives, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at Israel's navy blockading Lebanon but missed its target and struck a civilian ship, the Israeli army said early Saturday.
The attack on the warship off Beirut's Mediterranean coast could indicate Hezbollah has added a new weapon to the arsenal of rockets and mortars it has used against Israel.
Searches were under way to find four Israeli sailors who disappeared in the attack, Israeli military officials said. The warship, which suffered heavy damage and was set on fire, was towed back to the Israeli port of Haifa.
After the fire was extinguished, it became clear that four soldiers were missing. Their families were notified soon thereafter.
Israel Defense Forces teams, with the help of planes, helicopters and additional vessels, were searching for the missing troops at the site of the blast. The ship was towed back to Israel.
The incident occurred at around 8:30 P.M., causing a fire close to the helicopter landing pad onboard, Haaretz reported. The ship's steering mechanism also sustained some damage.
Several hours after the vessel was hit, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman acknowledged that the damage was worse than originally thought.