Palestinians Fire Kassam-2 Rockets From Gaza Into Israel

Haaretz ^ | February 10, 2002 | Amos Harel

[FresnoDA]

w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m

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Palestinians fire Kassam-2 rockets from Gaza into Israel

Palestinians fired up to three Kassam-2 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, approximately two kilometers east of Kibbutz Sa'ad on Sunday. The IDF has so far located the remains of one rocket, but three explosions were heard midday Sunday.

This was the first time Palestinians have used the Kassam-2 rocket against Israeli targets.

"All the indications lead us to believe that it is a Qassam 2," said IDF spokesman Jacob Dallal. "We found three launchers in Palestinian-controlled areas in Gaza directly west of the Nahal Oz [kibbutz]."

Uri Ya'ari, a security officer at the kibbutz where the projectile fell, said the rocket left a hole in the ground one-and-a-half metres wide and one metre deep, close to the kibbutz farmland.

An Israeli tank shelled the area where the rockets were believed to have been fired from. Infantry soldiers then moved into the area and discovered three launchers.

The rockets have an 8-kilometer range and pose a serious security risk to a number of Israeli cities.

Israeli security forces are concerned that the rockets have also been smuggled into the West Bank from Gaza. On Wednesday, a truck carrying Kassam-2 rockets from Nablus to Jenin was intercepted by an armored corps reserve unit.

IDF arrests three Palestinians in Nablus
IDF troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers briefly raided the West Bank city of Nablus late Saturday night, arresting three Palestinian brothers near a refugee camp in the north of the city. A fourth brother, a member of Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, wanted by the Israeli security forces, managed to escape.

An Israeli officer told Israel Radio that the operation had failed to achieve its goal.

IDF troops entered the Palestinian-ruled city around 3 A.M. Israel time, searching several buildings for militants the army said were involved in attacks on Israelis.

Palestinian sources said at least seven Palestinians were wounded, two critically, in the ensuing exchange of fire between troops and local gunmen. They said an Israeli bulldozer also damaged five shops in the area before the soldiers withdrew about two-and-a-half hours later.

A resident of the Askar refugee camp suffered a heart attack and died Sunday morning following the IDF's infiltration, Palestinian media reported.

The IDF continued its operation in the West Bank village of Tamoun Saturday night, north-east of Nablus. Palestinian sources reported that IDF troops arrested 25 Palestinian early Saturday morning during house to house searches in Tamoun near Nablus. However, the IDF said that it had arrested only 15 people and that they had all been released.

Woman killed in West Bank shooting
An Israeli woman, Atala Lipovsky, 79, was killed Saturday night and her son Victor was lightly wounded when Palestinians opened fire at their vehicle near the Tapuah junction, south of the West Bank city of Nablus.

The ambush took place next to the village of Marda, several kilomters before the junction. Her son, who was in the driver's seat, managed to continue driving for several more kilometers, where rescue services attempted to resuscitate the woman, but to no avail. Her son was taken to Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, in Petah Tikva.

Lipovsky, a resident of the settlement of Ma'aleh Ephraim, immigrated from the Ukraine in 1993. She will be buried Sunday in Kfar Sava. She is survived by two sons, both residents of Ma'aleh Ephraim, and grandchildren.

Troops began blockading Tamoun, which is under full Palestinian control, Friday night. The blockade, it appears, is the first step in an IDF operation aimed at taking control of the village. The IDF spokesman said that the operation had a specific time-frame.

However, security sources said that is was likely that several wanted Palestinians had managed to flee to Nablus at the start of the operation.

_{By Amos Harel and Daniel Sobelman, Ha'aretz Correspondents, Ha'aretz Service and agencies}

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[FresnoDA]

This was the first time Palestinians have used the Kassam-2 rocket against Israeli targets.

[newsperson999]

um..the sh*t is really going to hit the fan now
PALESTINIAN CHILDREN IN TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TERRORISTS

[Travis McGee]

Finally, a picture of their rocket.

[Clara Lou]

Someone needs to NUKE the Palestinians. They are terrorists raising more terrorists. They cannot even abide by their own laws. They murder harmless Israeli women and children. Rid the earth of these murderers. (I'm a little short on patience this morning.)

[Dallas]

Israel warned the PLA : Use of Kassam-2 Will Bring Heavy Retribution, and Israel keeps it's promises...

[FresnoDA]

IDF thwarts delivery of Kassam rockets from Nablus to Jenin

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Did Iran furnish these ? If they did, the Israelis should send them a message.

[newsperson999]

Israeli Police report 1,794 terror attacks in course of 2001 - 337 percent increase over 2000

[Catspaw]

It looks like the attack is coming from Hamas:

Palestinians fire new weapon at Israel - army

JERUSALEM, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired what appeared to be a new type of rocket at an Israeli farming community close to the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday, the army said. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

An army spokesman said both the range and impact of the projectile made it likely it was a type of "Qassam" rocket built by the militant Islamic group Hamas which had not previously been used in a 16-month-old Palestinian uprising.

"All the indications lead us to believe that it is a Qassam 2," Israeli army spokesman Jacob Dallal said. "We found three launchers in Palestinian-controlled areas in Gaza directly west of the Nahal Oz (farming community)."

He said it would take time to confirm the early assessment of the type of rocket as troops scour the area for fragments.

Uri Yaari, a security officer at the Israeli kibbutz where the projectile fell, said the rocket left a hole in the ground one-and-a-half metres wide and one metre deep, close to the community's farmland.

Palestinian militants have frequently fired mortar bombs at Israeli targets in or near Gaza during the uprising against Israeli occupation which erupted in September 2000 after peace talks stalled.

Early versions of the Qassam have been fired at Israeli targets inside occupied parts of the Gaza Strip in the past. The Qassam 2 is said to have a longer range -- up to eight km (five miles) -- than mortars or previous rocket models.

Hamas officials have said they were equipping themselves with such rockets to fight Israel's modern army.

Israel has warned that the launch of such rockets into its territory would amount to a grave escalation of the current conflict in which more than 1,000 people have been killed.

09:48 02-10-02

[FresnoDA]

LET THE PROTESTS BEGIN!! OH BROTHER!!

Khatami urges mass anti-US protests

Khatami said Bush's remarks were 'insulting'

President Mohammed Khatami of Iran has urged Iranians to take part in rallies on Monday in response to recent threatening language from President George W Bush.

The reformist leader said it was more important than ever for Iranians to join demonstrations marking the founding of Iran's Islamic republic, "given the baseless, erroneous and insulting statements against Iran" by the US.

Anyone who attacks this country and threatens its interests will face this nation's harsh and regrettable response

Ayatollah Khamenei

President Khatami's call, broadcast on Iranian television, comes amid heightened tension between Iran
and America after George Bush described Iran as part of an 'axis of evil'.

Last week, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US that it would regret any action it launched upon his country.

In his televised address, President Khatami said "all levels of the population will join hands, without partisan considerations, and will come to show their fidelity to the revolution" on Monday, 23 years after the overthrow of the shah.

The president said Mr Bush's remarks "were insulting to the Iranian nation and the Iranian people".

Iran 'on notice'

In his State of the Union speech on 29 January President Bush accused Iran of "aggressively" pursuing weapons of mass destruction and exporting terror.

US-Iranian relations have been frozen since 1979

Days later, Mr Bush said Iran was "on notice" and America was prepared to take action to make her and her allies more secure.

Recently, Iranian politicians and religious leaders have been calling for Iranians to turn out en masse to show their support for the regime.

State media has called for Iranians to use the occasion to give the US a metaphoric "punch in the face".

Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mehdi Karubi, a supporter of President Khatami, urged Iranians to participate "even if they are political or ideological opponents of the regime".

On Thursday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei warned that "anyone who attacks this country and threatens its interests will face this nation's harsh and regrettable response".

[Alouette]

Hamas officials have said they were equipping themselves with such rockets to fight Israel's modern army.

Except they don't have the cojones to take on real military targets, which is why they sneak past however many military checkpoints to get to pizza parlors, discos and shoe stores.

[FresnoDA]

Briefing details from last weeks intercept of PLO smugglers and Rockets!!! Feb. 6, 2002

Main Points of the Briefing Today By Commander of the West Bank Division, Brig. Gen. During routine activity in a surprise road block in the south-eastern exit road of Nablus an IDF reservist force stopped a seemingly innocent truck. Inside the truck the IDF force discovered 8 Kasam missile launchers on their way form Nablus to Jenin. Lately we bare witness to increasing attempts by the Hamas and other terrorist organizations, probably supported by the Palestinian Authority, to transfer Kasam Launchers to border cities in order to hit Israeli cities. The Idea behind the manufacture of these weapons is not defense nor law enforcement, but the inflict harm on Israeli civilians. The IDF reserve force activity is a laborious activity intended for defense. The launchers were not intended to threat Israeli settlements in the West Bank but towns located deep in Israeli territory. It is important to iterate, in the backdrop of the question regarding serving in the Palestinian Territories, that we are engaged in a just battle with the purpose of protecting citizens from unrestrained aggression. The Palestinian Authority is not holding up its end in neutralizing terrorist organizations and is not taking real steps to prevent the violence on the ground. All the talk of a decrease in escalation are false. On the ground there are increasing attempts to carry out shooting and bomb attacks intended to pose threat against Israeli cities behind the 1967 borderline and in Jerusalem. This is another example in addition to Karin-A proving that the Palestinian Authority is doing nothing to prevent murderous acts. I would like to emphasize the important work of IDF soldiers, reserve or regular, and of the Samaryia regiment, that in a swift operation prevented harm from being inflicted on Israelis and carried out its mission. Q: What was the destination and are there any detainees? A: The truck was headed for Genin. A Palestinian civilian drove it. We do not know if he was involved. He is currently investigated and the details are being checked. Q: Any details on the weapons? A: The missiles were manufactured in civilian lathes in Nablus. It is locally manufactured with a diameter of 120mm that could presumably reach as far as 10-12 Km Q: Was there early warning? A: The operation was routine. The reserve unit operated in the district three weeks now and was out carrying out a surprise road check in which the truck was caught. In the initial examinations launchers and fuses were found concealed and highly prepared to reach their target. Q: Where does this leave us now? A: This is the first time we seized this weapon in routine activity. This undoubtedly requires thought. In the resent month and a half we are occupied with finding solutions and I hope that when the threat arrives, we will be appropriately prepared. Q: What is the damage the Kasam missiles are capable of inflicting? A: I assume that if one falls in a residence area we may have a high casualty event. The driver was seized, given drinking water, and transferred for questioning. At the moment, the level of his involvement is being examined. He may be innocent. He may not have check his cargo. Regardless these details are currently being examined. He received fare treatment. Q: What was it concealed in? A: In a civilian merchandise rapping. Q: Have protocol changed with regards to trucks? A: We are examining thousands of vehicles at the passages spread throughout the West Bank, and we are continuously operating in order to lower the possibility of terrorist penetration and of terror acts against Israeli civilians, to a minimum.

[vrwc54]

Great Job!

[Travis McGee]

Note the high tech precision arc-welded mild steel casing and fins.

Shut down the Pali muffler shops, end the threat.

[pt17]

Someone needs to NUKE the Palestinians. They are terrorists raising more terrorists. They cannot even abide by their own laws. They murder harmless Israeli women and children. Rid the earth of these murderers. (I'm a little short on patience this morning.

I understand your sentiment; however, I think we need to isolate them first by drying up their sources (i.e., Iraq, Iran, etc.) of weapons, money and support. The more I think about this, the more I think Iran is the place to start. Their imams, mullahs, ayatollahs and other religious riff-raff may be in a less secure position that many think. Secure leaders don't generally behave the way these slugs do (i.e., stage mass rallies to show they're in control.)

[FresnoDA]

Bump, LOL!! Yeah, I saw that as well. I know a lot of metal shop teachers who would flunk their students for welds like that!!! FresnoDA

[glc1173@aol.com]

"Someone needs to NUKE the Palestinians."

You just don't get it. The main reasons why the Palestinian attackers are doing what the Syrian Air Force and the Egyptian Army failed to - defeat regional-superpower Israel - is that the Palestinians, by "hugging the enemy," are not vulnerable to Israel's advantages. (Who wants to nuke an enemy 300 yds. away? Who will use its fleet of fighter-bombers against frontline combatants - when they are literally so close to major neighborhoods of its own capital that the shrapnel would hit them?)

The other reason why the Palestinian resistance is defeating Israel is that it is now a "leaderless resistance" - something urged a year ago on Palestinians by a Lebanon-based TV station run by Hezbollah that is popular with Palestinians. How do you nuke or use an Apache chopper against an enemy that is very largely unconnected cells of 1-3 Palestinians not reporting to any command structure - but instead ambushes Jews and takes their weapons?

There are lessons here for dissidents in the U.S.

[dennisw]

The $64,000 question>

1. If Israel gave the Pallies the "occupied territories" they whine about would this bring peace to Israel?
   
2. Or would the Pallies just get  a lot closer to Israeli population centers so they could better terrorize Israel with rockets, mortars etc. 

I say #2 is the correct answer.

[FresnoDA]

DESPITE PLEDGE, IRAN CONTINUES TO PEDDLE MISSILES

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Despite its pledge, Iran continues to market missiles to Third World countries.

The latest suitor, industry sources said, is Nigeria.

Western diplomatic sources said Nigeria seeks a range of upgrades of its arsenal of Soviet-era weapons. They said an Iranian delegation held talks earlier this month for both modernization of aging systems as well as new weapons such as missiles.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Hamidreza Partukzade. Partukzade met Nigerian Defense Minister Theophilous Danjuma.

[dighton]

Hassan al-Mbogo Muffler and Aerospace.