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Rehovot, Rishon may be in Hamas rocket range
Yaakov Katz, Yaakov Lappin of JPost.com
"Fearing that Hamas may have missiles with a range over 40 kilometers, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed the Rishon Lezion and Rehovot municipalities to prepare their bomb shelters, The Jerusalem Post has learned and reported on Monday.
Defense officials said Sunday that the air force had destroyed a significant percentage of Hamas's long-range Kassams and Grad-model Katyusha rockets, but that it was likely the group still had "several thousand" left.
Most of Hamas's Grad rockets were produced in Iran and have a range of 20-40 kilometers. The Iranians built the missiles with a special technology and they can be dismantled into several components and then be reassembled once smuggled into Gaza. Hamas also has a number of Chinese-made 122mm Katyusha rockets that were smuggled into the Strip last January after the Islamist group blew up the border wall with Egypt.
The IDF has, however, not ruled out the possibility that Hamas may have a handful of more advanced Katyushas that are capable of reaching Rishon Lezion and Rehovot.
"We need to be prepared for every scenario, including the possibility that Hamas has longer-range rockets that can hit cities north of Ashdod," a source in the Home Front Command said.
Last week, police were already getting ready for the possibility of rockets hitting the Rehovot area. "We are prepared with special police forces such as sappers and CSI teams," a spokeswoman said.
Due to the IDF operations in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Police and Home Front Command are preparing for the possibility that Hamas rocket squads will be forced to operate from within built-up areas farther south. If this happens, the IDF believes that more rockets may hit Ashkelon, which enjoyed a relative respite from attacks on Sunday.
The calm should not fool local authorities into letting their guard down, the newly-appointed Southern District police chief, Cmdr. Yohanan Danino, warned during a meeting with the city's Mayor Benny Vaknin..."
Source: Yaakov Katz, Yaakov Lappin (5 Jan 2009) JPost.com [FullText]
"Fearing that Hamas may have missiles with a range over 40 kilometers, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed the Rishon Lezion and Rehovot municipalities to prepare their bomb shelters, The Jerusalem Post has learned and reported on Monday.
Defense officials said Sunday that the air force had destroyed a significant percentage of Hamas's long-range Kassams and Grad-model Katyusha rockets, but that it was likely the group still had "several thousand" left.
Most of Hamas's Grad rockets were produced in Iran and have a range of 20-40 kilometers. The Iranians built the missiles with a special technology and they can be dismantled into several components and then be reassembled once smuggled into Gaza. Hamas also has a number of Chinese-made 122mm Katyusha rockets that were smuggled into the Strip last January after the Islamist group blew up the border wall with Egypt.
The IDF has, however, not ruled out the possibility that Hamas may have a handful of more advanced Katyushas that are capable of reaching Rishon Lezion and Rehovot.
"We need to be prepared for every scenario, including the possibility that Hamas has longer-range rockets that can hit cities north of Ashdod," a source in the Home Front Command said.
Last week, police were already getting ready for the possibility of rockets hitting the Rehovot area. "We are prepared with special police forces such as sappers and CSI teams," a spokeswoman said.
Due to the IDF operations in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Police and Home Front Command are preparing for the possibility that Hamas rocket squads will be forced to operate from within built-up areas farther south. If this happens, the IDF believes that more rockets may hit Ashkelon, which enjoyed a relative respite from attacks on Sunday.
The calm should not fool local authorities into letting their guard down, the newly-appointed Southern District police chief, Cmdr. Yohanan Danino, warned during a meeting with the city's Mayor Benny Vaknin..."
Source: Yaakov Katz, Yaakov Lappin (5 Jan 2009) JPost.com [FullText]
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