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IDF intensifies reprisals on N. Gaza
I don't know why JPost is calling these 'reprisals'. Its a deterant that clearly works and scales rather nicely. And, I haven't noticed any MSM coverage of all those motars and rockets falling short and hiting Paleo areas. Mustn't be newsworthy.The IDF stepped up its response Sunday night to Palestinian mortar fire towards Israel originating in the northern Gaza Strip. Late Sunday night, tanks lined up outside the northern Gaza border targeted the sources of the attacks. According to IDF officials, the reprisals would continue into the early hours Monday morning, "because the Palestinians must understand that we will not ignore mortar fire." The army began firing at the terror cells after a mortar shell landed near the security fence north of the Karni crossing Sunday night. No one was wounded and no damage was caused in the attack. "Our response will be exaggerated and disproportional to the [mortar] fire," a senior IDF official said, according to Army Radio. If the Palestinian cells continue firing mortars, he added, Israel's response will even intensify. Israel has gradually escalated its response to the attacks from Gaza since its withdrawal from the strip. During the first half of September, during Operation First Rain, Israel stationed a row of tanks bordering the Gaza Strip to discourage attacks. When Palestinian attacks continued, however, the army was given the go-ahead to respond to fire with fire. IDF officials explained that the object of the current operation was to drive the terror cells away from the security fence, and thus render the mortar fire ineffective due to the limited range of the shells. Since the army initiated this policy, the number of Kassam attacks that managed to reach Israeli territory was lowered to just 20 percent. The other 80%, officials said, fall short of their mark and land within Palestinian lands. Posted by: phil_b 2005-11-14 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=134962 |