Hamas boosting anti-aircraft arsenal with looted Libyan missiles
Anti-aircraft missiles smuggled into Gaza at Iran's initiative, but fall of Muammar Gadhafi regime provided Hamas with higher quality missiles; rocket hits south Israel Wednesday night after period of relative calm.
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff Tags: Hamas Gaza Gaza rockets IDF Libya IranA rocket fired by Palestinians from Gaza Wednesday night landed between Ashdod and Gedera, in the first such attack after a two-month period of quiet. Sirens sounded in Ashdod and nearby communities and residents were told to enter protected rooms and shelters. There were no injuries.
Since the terrorist attack on the Egyptian border near Eilat that killed eight on August 18, the Gaza border has been relatively calm with only a few rocket launches, most directed at small communities near the Gaza Strip. Last night's rocket, fired around 11:10 p.m., landed in a field. It seems to have been fired from the northern end of the Gaza Strip, from a distance of about 30-35 kilometers . The explosion was heard clearly all over Ashdod, which means it had a relatively large warhead.
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Emergency personnel at the site of a direct Grad rocket hit on a home in Be’er Sheva, in which one person was killed. |
| Photo by: Eliyahu Hershkovitz |
It was not clear last night which Palestinian organization fired the rocket, though Israeli intelligence officials believed that in recent months Hamas had little incentive to launch such attacks and cause an escalation. It is possible a small faction fired the rocket in defiance of Hamas, which is trying to leverage its success in freeing prisoners in the Gilad Shalit swap.
Libyan anti-aircraft missiles reach Gaza
The improved quality of anti-aircraft missiles held by Hamas in Gaza is increasingly worrying the Israeli defense establishment. Hamas recently managed to smuggle relatively advanced Russian missiles, which were looted from Libyan military warehouses, into the Gaza Strip. Israel is worried about the presence of the missiles, both because they curb the air force's almost unlimited freedom of movement over Gaza today, and because of their possible use against civil aviation in Eilat.
Shoulder-fired anti-aicraft missiles have been smuggled into Gaza in recent years at Iran's initiative. But the fall of Muammar Gadhafi's regime has enabled Hamas to bring in much higher quality missiles - and in much larger quantities.
Rings of smugglers utilized the riots in Libya to break into military storage facilities and steal large quantities of weapons, some of which have relatively advanced capabilities. The weapons were then sold to terrorist organizations, first and foremost to various Palestinian factions. It seems that extremist Islamist organizations in Somalia also bought large quantities of weapons.
The United States is also worried by the developments. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who visited Libya last week, announced the U.S. would grant the new Libyan regime millions of dollars in aid in an attempt to fight the arms smuggling. American experts expressed their fears in particular over the transfer of shoulder-launched missiles to terrorists, and said the aid was intended to allow the Libyans to locate where such weapons are stored - and destroy them.
There have been previous reports of the smuggling of Russian SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles into Gaza. Now there are reports of more advanced missiles.
A few weeks ago, the cabinet discussed the issue of protecting civilian aviation in Eilat, including the possible purchase of systems to defend planes against anti-aircraft missiles. The issue has been put off for nine years since the failed attempt by an al-Qaida faction to shoot down an Israeli passenger plane in Mombasa, Kenya.
In the August 18 battle between the IDF and terrorists, the terrorists fired a missile at an Israeli attack helicopter. The missile missed. But the Air Force has been operating for a number of years over Gaza on the assumption that various Palestinian factions possess anti-aircraft missiles.
The anarchy in Sinai in recent months has allowed the Palestinians in Gaza to operate almost without interference, and improve their training and weaponry.
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I hope starving Gazans have steel teeth...
it ridiculous that Israel is allowed to have nuclear weapons , but the Palestinian are prevented from getting some anti-aircraft missiles to defend themseves.
Or is anyone believing you can smuggle an antiaircraft missile without being seen? Israel will not have many options now except a hard one again.
Or is anyone believing you can smuggle an antiaircraft missile without being seen? Israel will not have many options now except a hard one again.
Besides without advanced targeting systems it won't help them against combat drones much less an F-16.
Shells will be raining by the thousands if precise strikes are not possible...
Hope, that won't be repeated and peace will come...
these include new, advanced SA-24 Grinch manportable airdefence systems. " 'we don't understand why they weren't used,' says us army general carter ham, chief of the africa command....' " (aviation week). what is certain is that these advanced heat-seeking missiles have disappeared and without doubt fallen in the hands of terrorists. the war in lybia has been a disaster from all points of view. qaddafi, who had lately given up wmd's and renounced terror, has been replaced by islamists. much of his arsinal of most advanced weapons have disappeared.
In an armed struggle it's not terrorism to fire a missile at an attack helicopter. It's self defense
and "struggle" against the "tyrant" that feeds you
In an armed struggle it's not state terrorism to fire a missile at a missile launcher site or at a missile storage depot, It's self defense
Enough is enough, Israel has to stop playing games with Terrorist and take the gloves off. Hamas needs to be removed for ANY chance of peace to occur.
It didnt work last time did it? All that was achieved was a huge civillian death toll and international condemnation. You are writing cheques that the IDF cannot cash.
Anti-aircraft missiles (looted from libya) smuggled (through egypt) into Gaza at Iran's initiative. was north korea responsible for the logistics? was syria responsible for the catering? seriously guys, your saying iran has a hand in libya now?
Boast about their AA rockets, the IAF bombs 3 terrorist sites out of existance. This is total nonsense.
in Gaza! Hope we don't get there.
Even if it was with a bb gun.
should these missiles bring down civilian aircraft, whether by al qaeda or other islamist terrorists, then remember your sophomoric post. the disappearance of twenty thousand advanced missiles from lybia has been reported by numerous news sources.
Actually it is quite easy to learn to use these things as most of the operation is automatic. All the operator of the Manpad has to do is wait for the tone before firing the trigger
This is at least the 500th report I've read in the last 12 years that Hamas or somebody in Gaza has AA capability. Yet I've never even once seen a report that anybody in Gaza has used an AA capability when they are being bombed by the IAF. Is this a credible report or is this part of the campaign to scare the sh*t out of Israelis to get a boost in the defense budget?
500 reports???
25.10.04 Latest update 00:00 25.10.04 Gaza terror groups thought to have anti-aircraft missiles Palestinian terror organizations in the Gaza Strip my have anti-aircraft missiles in their possession, possibly Strela (SA-7) missiles, the security establishment warned yesterday. By Amos Harel
... who democratically voted in Hamas based on its platform to destroy Israel, knows about the new missile capabilities they have. With this knowledge, they will be able to understand what is going to happen when their democratically elected leaders are not able to resist playing with these missiles.
The Lybian Air Force and anti aircraft defenses were not old Soviet thrash, but neither were they state-of-the-art, advanced weapons, except for the relatively new, smuggled Russian portable ones. Israel should be able to handle them.
What kind of missiles are they talking about, SA-16 and SA-18?
I promise you, hamas wont waste their anti aircraft missile on the IAF, instead they will use them to shoot down passenger liners in order to kill as many civilians as possible.
Hamas' aim is to resist the Israeli occupation - they are specific about this in all of their documents. They're not some insane, crazed, bloodthirsty group - that's your misinformed brainwashing.
Hamas could acquire them as a deterrent to Israeli aerial incursions over Gaza. Anti-aircraft missiles would address the legitimate security concerns of Palestinians in Gaza.
I have been hearing about "shoulder fired missiles" used by "terrorists" since at least 2007... not one instance of them using one on an Israeli Jet or plane. why is that?
I don't understand what the big fuss is all about? Until Hamas has an anti-missile defense shield, they are vulnerable to surface-to-surface IDF missiles. Can their shoulder fired rockets shoot down an incoming missile launched from Israel? I don't think so. Asymmetrical warfare goes both ways. They get better weapons, and we elevate which weapons we use back on them. I wonder who's going to win that competition...
Yes, but when the IDF fires missiles into Gaza, it is invariably civillians that get killed, not Hamas fighters. What usually follows is a whole load of excuses about how they shouldnt be in the wrong place etc, when the actual issue is that the IDF has never once been effective at reducing the capability of Hamas.
Put them on notice that if one shoulder anti air missile is fired, the the dogs of war will be slipped and Gaza will be turned to ruble and no quarter will be asked because there wont be any prisoners
about collateral damage from planes that have to bomb from over 18,000 feet. These weapons are hardly a victory for the Pals. More use of UAV's will be necessary as well.
So the answer to the threat of AA capability is to coit increasing war crimes against the civillian population. This type of reaction is getting so comonplace that I begin to woner if it is cultural
lots of statements backed up by, what, nothing!! Then I guess that makes the facts nothing more than inuendo and propoganda. Some "reporting" I have to say is obviously worse than others but this takes the cake.
Or open for the whole world to roll their eyes at and laugh? This is the next thing you will make up? Man, the stories were much better from the last script writer. Mexican drug cartels must have done the smuggling, I'm sure.