Militants fires rocket into Israel
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Tuesday, 16 May April 2006: 14.20 CET) – Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the firing of a Katyusha rocket from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Tuesday morning.
The rocket struck a communal farming settlement in southern Israel, Moshav Netiv Ha'asara, before dawn killing several dozen chickens and damaging a water pipe.
The only previously documented firing of a Katyusha rocket from the Gaza Strip was on 28 March, the day of Israel's parliamentary elections.
Islamic Jihad is thought to have smuggled the missiles, which have a greater range than the homemade Qassam rockets regularly fired into Israel, across the Gaza-Egypt border.
Israel fears that the southern cities of Ashqelon and Ashdod are now within range of Jihad militants firing Katyushas from the northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli artillery has regularly pounded suspected launch sites in recent weeks in response to the firing of missiles.
An Islamic Jihad spokesperson, Abu Hamza, told reporters that the Katyusha firing was meant to send a message to Israel that the group would not be intimidated by Israeli military operations against it.
A senior commander in the militant group was killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank village of Qabatiyeh on Sunday.
Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings in Israel.
The rocket struck a communal farming settlement in southern Israel, Moshav Netiv Ha'asara, before dawn killing several dozen chickens and damaging a water pipe.
The only previously documented firing of a Katyusha rocket from the Gaza Strip was on 28 March, the day of Israel's parliamentary elections.
Islamic Jihad is thought to have smuggled the missiles, which have a greater range than the homemade Qassam rockets regularly fired into Israel, across the Gaza-Egypt border.
Israel fears that the southern cities of Ashqelon and Ashdod are now within range of Jihad militants firing Katyushas from the northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli artillery has regularly pounded suspected launch sites in recent weeks in response to the firing of missiles.
An Islamic Jihad spokesperson, Abu Hamza, told reporters that the Katyusha firing was meant to send a message to Israel that the group would not be intimidated by Israeli military operations against it.
A senior commander in the militant group was killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank village of Qabatiyeh on Sunday.
Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings in Israel.
posted by Marko at 5/16/2006 07:57:00 AM
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