Hamas has rockets capable of striking Tel Aviv: Israeli intelligence officer
Hamas has rockets capable of striking Tel Aviv: Israeli intelligence officer
20:37, November 03, 2009 
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The Islamic Hamas movement operatives in the Gaza Strip possess in their military arsenal rockets that are capable of striking Tel Aviv, a senior Israeli military intelligence officer warned on Tuesday in Jerusalem.
Major General Amos Yadlin, head of Military Intelligence for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), made the warning while addressing the Knesset (parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, saying that Hamas has recently tested a rocket capable of reaching targets at a distance of 60 km, which means the Tel Aviv area is under threat of rocket fire from Gaza.
The rocket was fired into the Mediterranean Sea, Yadlin was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as telling lawmakers, though he did not say whether the weapon was manufactured in Gaza or was smuggled into the Strip from abroad.
This latest development is indicative of Hamas' growing military capabilities, said the intelligence officer.
Yadlin added that Hezbollah, the Shiite movement based in southern Lebanon, has also been stockpiling weapons.
"The organization continues to arm itself and it is amassing many weapons by (acquiring them from) Iran via Syria," he said.
The major general also reported that Syria continued to play a key role in arming both organizations, saying that "Syria has turned into the main factory and weapons cache for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as for Syria itself, with financial aid from Iran."
As for Iran, Yadlin warned that an Iranian plant used for uranium enrichment in the city of Qom, whose existence was recently exposed by the West, is geared for military purposes.
"This past summer was the quietest from a security standpoint that we have had in many years," he said, citing a combination of Israeli deterrence alongside Arab expectations regarding the Middle East policy of the Obama administration.
Hamas is currently not interested in confrontation with Israel, said Yadlin, adding that Hamas is rather devoting its energies to solidifying its rule in Gaza while continuing its weapons smuggling operations.
During Operation Cast Lead in January, Grad-type rockets, Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired into Israel's southern territory, with projectiles hitting Beersheba, some 40 km from the Gaza Strip.
Source: Xinhua
Major General Amos Yadlin, head of Military Intelligence for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), made the warning while addressing the Knesset (parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, saying that Hamas has recently tested a rocket capable of reaching targets at a distance of 60 km, which means the Tel Aviv area is under threat of rocket fire from Gaza.
The rocket was fired into the Mediterranean Sea, Yadlin was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as telling lawmakers, though he did not say whether the weapon was manufactured in Gaza or was smuggled into the Strip from abroad.
This latest development is indicative of Hamas' growing military capabilities, said the intelligence officer.
Yadlin added that Hezbollah, the Shiite movement based in southern Lebanon, has also been stockpiling weapons.
"The organization continues to arm itself and it is amassing many weapons by (acquiring them from) Iran via Syria," he said.
The major general also reported that Syria continued to play a key role in arming both organizations, saying that "Syria has turned into the main factory and weapons cache for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as for Syria itself, with financial aid from Iran."
As for Iran, Yadlin warned that an Iranian plant used for uranium enrichment in the city of Qom, whose existence was recently exposed by the West, is geared for military purposes.
"This past summer was the quietest from a security standpoint that we have had in many years," he said, citing a combination of Israeli deterrence alongside Arab expectations regarding the Middle East policy of the Obama administration.
Hamas is currently not interested in confrontation with Israel, said Yadlin, adding that Hamas is rather devoting its energies to solidifying its rule in Gaza while continuing its weapons smuggling operations.
During Operation Cast Lead in January, Grad-type rockets, Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired into Israel's southern territory, with projectiles hitting Beersheba, some 40 km from the Gaza Strip.
Source: Xinhua
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