Israel fears more explosive-laden barrels in Mediterranean
Following discovery of two explosives in Ashkelon and Ashdod, police scan coast for devices.
By Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Israel terrorism Israel newsThe Israel Navy is acting with the assumption that there are more barrels filled with explosives in the sea off the coast of Israel and Gaza, in addition to the two found Monday on beaches in Ashdod and Ashkelon, sources in the navy said.
The Israel Defense Forces believes the barrels were dropped in the water from fishing boats and terror from the sea will increase in the near future, the sources said.
The sources said the Navy knows about four such barrels so far: two that exploded not far from an IDF ship north of Gaza on Saturday and the two found Monday. Israeli ships and planes will continue to search the sea for more barrels in the next few days.
The Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the attempted attacks, saying there were eight barrels of explosives. The IDF thinks the military wing of Fatah was also involved in the operation, sources said.
The barrels are similar to the floats used regularly by fishermen and contain 15-20 kilograms of explosives. They are designed to be set off by remote control using cellular phones.
Only a very small part of the barrel floats above the surface of the sea. Gaza fishermen are allowed to fish only up to three nautical miles (about 5.5 kilometers) from the coast.
The IDF said the explosives were intended to attack Israeli ships and not infrastructure installations on the coast, bathers or the offshore natural gas drilling rig.
This is the first time terror organizations in Gaza have used such tactics, but Hezbollah made similar attempts in the 1990s. A previous attempt to attack Israeli ships off Gaza came in April last year, when a surfboard loaded with explosives was launched at a boat.
The Navy said its ships carry equipment that can detect such devices.
The police will continue to deploy large forces to look for additional bombs, at least through the end of this week. Tuesday, the police operations branch met with representatives of the Navy and intelligence agencies to evaluate the situation. The police will patrol the beaches, also using helicopters and on horseback.
The police called on the public to be alert for suspicious objects, especially on the beaches. In addition, the police asked the public not to visit beaches on the southern coast near where the explosive barrels were found.
The police said storms expected today would keep most people away from the beaches, but the coming storm could wash any other possible barrels ashore.
The police kept the public away from beaches Tuesday at Zikim, Ashkelon, Nitzanim and Ashdod.
"As far as the city of Ashkelon is concerned, this is an entirely new direction and we are following the handling of the matter," Mayor Benny Vaknin said yesterday. "I call on all residents to be alert and prepared, but not to panic."
Ashdod Mayor Yehiel Lankry awarded a citation to Avihai Nakash, the municipal employee who discovered the explosive barrel on the beach in Ashdod.
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Air Delivery will do quite nicely
Its getting so bad lately that Israel is more fearfull of world condemnation for self defence than the actual weapons fired at it by Terrorist.
still convinced you can make peace with a man who threatens to conquer all Jerusalem ignoring Jewish bonds to the city?
The Gazans are again continuing their warlike ways. The antidote would be to teach them a lesson in explosive technology. Then they will cry how cruel the Israelis are.
...and then they will suffer more as a result. Resisting is their right ..but really they are stupid. Rsesistance and stuborness are two completely different ideals.
As all the Israeli bashers say "the Pals have every right to fight the occupation with whatever means they have." I agree. But by the same token if they blow up a power source, then Israel has the right to withdraw that power source from being delivered to the Palestinians....or the Palestinians can go and fix the damage.
This conflict is painful to watch. But sometimes I find myself thinking that Israel is it?s own worst enemy. It was reported that the Hamas man was electrocuted and then strangled. Assassinations are ineffective and are damaging to Israel?s reputation. For 1) Hamas can replace the man; 2) it only angers Hamas. When will Israel learn that there is NO military solution to their problems? The only solution is a political one. Yes we all know that Israel is the most powerful country in the Middle East and can take out all of their enemies with one hand tied behind their back. The Gaza war proved how superior Israeli forces are. But that is not a strategy for peace. Israel needs to humble itself and try to understand the perspectives of others.
I suggest another multi-billion dollar project: 'Iron Dam.' Then, of course the Palestinians might tunnel -- they do tunnel. Obviously, 'Iron Gopher' can't wait until it's too late. Can you put a price tag on Israel's security?
An interesting mode of explosives delivery, but one which is not likely to be a real threat to a forewarned populace. Seems to me to have a beneficial side. Tossing barrels in the Med in the hopes they will blow something worth the effort and expense up is really a way of disposing of smuggled materials to little effect. Sounds like Islamic Jihad is desperate to get around the Hamas prohibition on attacks.
Like the Hamas rockets which are aimed only at military installations but due to crudeness of technology and a mind of their own end up on purely civilians installations 99.99999999999% of the time (oddly) - the barrels are to blame. they are still crude (wait till version 7 of barrels - like windows you have to give them time) - they were purely aimed at some unknown military installation, however, the anti-current system seem to have failed. So this is not indiscriminate, collective, weapon against civilians and there is no need for the UN or its Human Rights committees to get involved (the UN is smart enough to figure it out - so I bet you anything that 1. it will not be even debated in the UN 2. Not raise and eyebrow and 3. No action will be taken = they are pretty clever in the UN - they know the Nautical bomb current issues)
The barrels were sent with the intent to kill israelis and the UN remains silent. Keep the same silence when some of the same barrels are sent back into gaza ports and detoniated no matter how many people are around.
imagine the armada of war exerienced terrorists form iraq and afghanistan comming to siege the israeli borders after the us - nato forces have withdrawn from these countries? the terrorists no mater which faction are pretty well aware that the two major wars in the region are aimed to bring silence and security to israel. these wars are fought not for oil or money but the security of israel. the problem is that one day these wars will be over and then the terrorists need an other enemy.this enemy will for sure be israel! i guess there is only one way to solve the problem.all out war in the middle east, the use of weapons which are mighty enough to frighten the enemy to it's bones and paralyze them for the next 1000 years!there is no other way and we all know it!
I'm eagerly awaiting the first Hamas-apologist to explain these barrels away as 'defensive-weapons', or 'sea-fireworks'.
Hamas continues to target the civilian population.
....to come up with ideas like this. Let's float a barrel full of explosives toward a beach full of innocent civilians out to breathe some fresh seaside air and blow them up by remote control. No doubt part of the Palestinian peace overtures they keep talking about. Clearly those pesty Israel Navy guys blowing these things out of the water are the obstacle to peace.