Early warning system fails in North - Haaretz

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Thu., January 10, 2008 Shvat 3, 5768

Israel Time: 01:59 (EST+7)

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Early warning system fails in North

By Yuval Azoulay

Tags: Lebanon, Katyusha, IDF, Barak

The two Katyusha rockets fired against Israel from southern Lebanon early yesterday were not identified by the army's early warning system.

The Israel Defense Forces said poor weather conditions were probably the cause, and the residents of northern community Shlomi thought the blasts had been thunderclaps.

At Northern Command, IDF officers said it was still unclear which militant group in Lebanon was responsible for the attack.

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During a similar attack last June, a local Palestinian organization, Fatah al-Islam, claimed responsibility. That time, a barrage of rockets targeted Kiryat Shmona.

Officers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) visited the site where the Katyushas hit yesterday.Defense Minister Ehud Barak, meanwhile, visited the northern border, though the trip had been planned and was not related to the attack.

Accompanied by GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot and Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Harel, Barak visited the base of Division 91 and met with its commander, Brigadier General Imad Fares.

Barak and the senior IDF officers were briefed on the IDF's readiness along the border and the changes put in place after the Second Lebanon War.

Barak said the Katyusha attack was both unusual and serious.

"We do not intend to allow a change in the status quo in the area. We discussed the situation with the division commander, Brigadier General Fares and the GOC Northern Command. I also spoke with the head of the local council of Shlomi, Gabi Neeman, and we will evaluate the incident, think, decide and take action," Barak said.

The defense minister explained that the bad weather made it impossible to identify the launching of the two missiles in the early morning hours.

At the Home Front Command they were quick to point out that the early warning system is not under their command, but is controlled by the Northern Command. They also said the system is not an automatic one and is put into operation based on situation assessments by the Northern Command.

Hezbollah gets stronger

Defense Barak said Monday night at the Council for Peace and Security in Tel Aviv that Hezbollah has become stronger since the Second Lebanon War, and now has more missiles than it did on the eve of the confrontation.

Barak stressed that because of its missile arsenal, Hezbollah now threatens more areas of Israel. He also charged that "there is free passage of weapons and armaments from Syria to Lebanon."

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