IDF Chief: Hezbollah has rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv
IDF chief says calm is 'misleading - Beyond the fences the terror groups are gaining strength.'
By Jonathan Lis Tags: Hezbollah Iran Israel news IDFHezbollah guerrillas now possess tens of thousands of rockets, some capable of reaching up to 300 kilometers within Israel, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Tuesday.
These capabilities would put Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well cities much further south, into rocket range.
"There is a war in the Middle East between two camps, the extreme and the moderate, which is pushing Iran to take radical steps. Without Iran's support to finance weapons and terror groups they would be lacking the means available to them today," said Ashkenazi.
"While it is calm at the moment, the borders are quiet in the north and the south, it is a misleading calm," he added. "Beyond the fences the terror groups are gaining strength."
Last week, Israel seized a ship reportedly en route from Iran to Hezbollah carrying hundreds of tons of weapons. Hezbollah has denied any connection to the weapons found aboard.
The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has stockpiled 40,000 rockets near the border with Israel and is training its guerillas to use missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv, the Times of London reported a couple of months ago.
According to the report, militants are now being trained in the use of both long-range ground-to-ground missiles as well as anti-aircraft missiles to use against Israel.
Israel, the United Nations and Hezbollah itself have all said that the milita is stronger today than it was during the Second Lebanon War.
While the northern front has been relatively quiet since the 2006 conflict, Deputy GOC Northern Command Alon Friedman told The Times then that the peace could "explode at any minute."
In July, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah predicted that Israel would attack Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon sometime before next spring.
Nasrallah told Lebanese media his organization would launch missiles at Tel Aviv if Israel attacks the Shi'ite group's positions in Lebanon.
He warned that "the equation had changed" in its method of resistance against Israel and threatened to attack Tel Aviv should the IDF bomb the southern suburbs of Beirut, as it did during the 2006 war.
Senior Israel Defense Forces staff and defense establishment personnel have expressed extreme concern over the possibility of a serious incident on the Lebanese border in the near future.
Tensions with Hezbollah have risen lately, especially since one of the organization's warehouses of Katyusha rockets in southern Lebanon blew up last month. In response, defense officials have held several high-level consultations on the situation.
The explosion revealed that Hezbollah was still stockpiling rockets south of the Litani River, in violation of Lebanon's obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which marked the end of the Second Lebanon War.
The Times obtained surveillance footage showing Hezbollah guerillas trying to extract rockets and munitions from the site of the explosion. UN peacekeeping forces were subsequently blocked from entering the site for investigation.
Israel, meanwhile, has said that UNIFIL had precise information about the cache and a number of other installations where Hezbollah is storing rockets, but that peacekeeping force had done nothing.
Senior IDF officers believe that Hezbollah has completely rebuilt its network of bunkers and arms stockpiles in south Lebanon, but has located them almost entirely inside Shi'ite villages rather than in open areas, as it did sometimes in the past. The warehouse explosion revealed this fact, and has prompted Hezbollah to worry that Israeli intelligence may know where its new bases are located.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Which are exactly opposite of your false claim Let's just say that Gallup Polls are a lot more reliable and accurate than you are http://www.gallup.com/poll/116308/Americans-Support-Israel-Unchanged-Gaza-Conflict.aspx
Let's just imagine that they were pointed in your direction and ready to be fired again as they were in the Last Lebanese iniated war, when thousands were fired at Israel Lebanon is merely a puppet on a string, it's actions are being directed by Iran While we're discussing puppets, is this what your Imam told you to write??
Civilians in all of Lebanon is within range of israeli weapons. So how can it be a big issue that some lebanese have a few rockets that reach israeli cities?
Here you are again, spouting falsehoods, unable to back them with facts The world is also sick of your numerous lies, that's why your BBSNEWS.NET is now merely BBSNEWS, indicating your website flunked the the test Explain why you show no emotion for the pathetic state of of American Indians, drugs, alchohol, etc..From your writings it seems that you too are afflicted
...bombing the suburbs of Beirut again will pretty much be Israel's final action. The world is finally getting sick of the day in and day out threat by Israel towards all the neighbors in the region. Really, no wonder they hate you, everyday Israeli newspapers are filled with officials talking smack and raising tensions. We all now know it is just to take the world's eyes off the illegal colonies. How's that workin' out fer ya so far? In fact, name one country anywhere on the planet that supports Israel's illegal colonies?
Funny. I cant believe this guy is actually trying to convince us that Tel-Aviv is at risk from Hamas rockets. Hamas cant even hit anything in Sderot! Blatantly fishing for reasons to start another war. NOONE'S BUYING IT!
MoL:"Russia has Nukes Capable of Hitting Washington" 1/. The US is not in a state of war with Russia with the latest battle only 3 years ago. 2/. Russia does not conduct raids on US soil. 3/. Russia does not let a missile go about once per month striking US soil and then saying "we're not sure who fired it" 4/. Russia is not a proxy of another state that is committed to destroying the US.
Israel would want to hit the U.K., it seems in your mind the U.K. has done something that requires revenge Would you mind telling us what the U.K.'s dastardly deed was?
the reason Israel does not attack the United Kingdom with those weapons is that the United Kingdom also has nuclear missiles which can hit Israel. Welcome to the wonderful world of MAD
In 1962 the USA had overwhelming nuclear superiority over the Soviet Union. The fallout of our weapons would have done more harm to the USA than Russia's strategic forces could inflict. The guesstimates at the time were that the Soviets probably could destroy about 10 major US cities and installations if we struck first. That might have been low, but it was certainly enough of a threat to negate the pleadings of General LeMay to launch a first strike during the Cuban Missile crisis. The United States was deterred from that first strike policy by the consequences of doing it. MAD had worked long before either nation officially adopted it as their nuclear strategy.
So does China. The trick is learning to use diplomacy so the rockets and other weapons aren't used; a modus vivendi is developed. The Russians developed their nukes because they feared US nukes. But they didn't use them and don't have them aimed at us anymore because we learned to talk and accommodate each other. Yes, we still have crazies that want to nuke them. They probably have some that feel the same way. But we control the impulses. and don't allow those with the impulses too much influence very often.
And what is the point you are trying to make ?You have stated the facts ,but what is the message you are trying to convey ,must the citizens of Tel -Aviv clean out the bomb shelters or must they become psychologically prepared like Sderot to be used to being bombed ?
Israel is probably doing arial surveys to locate these weapon stores. they will destroy these sites with special bunker bombs should the need arise! I doubt that Israel will send in soldiers this time if provoked by Hamas. sadly, resources that should be spent for economic betterment of the people in Lebanon are spent on making war. sadly, the people in Lebanon do not seem to understand their dilema. another generation is lost to revenge!
"IDF Chief: Hezbollah has rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv" So what, it's a violent world. Hezbollah has an arsenal a fraction of the size of Israel's and it has killed a fraction of the number of people killed by Israel.
... from now on until eternity, every time there is a national problem, that will be quoted and re-quoted... ... nobody can expect any "mercy" from us, as long as "Hezbollah has rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv..."