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Missed, dammit! IAF rockets Sheikh Yassin
ABC News/AP article, posted by Frank G...
Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a Gaza City strike Saturday, lightly wounding Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin in his hand, Hamas officials said. It was not clear whether Yassin was in a car or in a building when the missiles hit. He is the highest-ranking Hamas official to be targeted by Israel, which has killed 12 members of the group in six missile strikes in the past three weeks. Five bystanders have also been killed in these attacks. Yassinâs car was traveling on the street where the missiles hit, said Abdel Nasser Ramadan, a Palestinian medic.
obviously, itâs still unclear exactly whatup, but the fact they finally went after Yassin is a loud and clear message
And more detail from Jerusalem Post...
Two loud explosions have been heard in Gaza City Saturday afternoon. Initial reports indicate that IAF attack helicopters attacked a north Gaza City building housing a Hamas terrorist who was being visited at the time by Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin and another senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.
| Hurrah! Even though they missed 'em, it shows they're going after the head of the snake... |
Yassin and Haniya were spirited away from the building, which was badly damaged inthe misile strike. Senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi confirmed that Yassin and Haniya were in the targeted building, and said they were both targeted for assassination. Rantissi added that both Yassin and Haniya were injured in the attack. "The Gates of hell are open," Rantissi added.
| As opposed to "kinda open," I guess, or "widely cracked"... |
Rantissi said Yassin suffered injuries to his hands. Yassin is the highest-ranking Hamas official to be targeted by Israel, which has killed 12 members of the group in six missile strikes in the past three weeks.
| Yassin is the highest-ranking Hamas official there is, next to King Fahd... |
Witnesses told Israel Radio that Yassin was seen leaving the building shortly before the explosions were heard. Palestinian witnesses in Gaza City said that IAF jets fired missiles at a three-story building in the city. Reports indicate that Haniya was injured in the attack. Yassin managed to flee the building before it was hit.
"Wheel chair, don't fail me now!"
The strike itself, even if it didn't succeed, is cause for ululation and random AK fire... |
More followup, from Associated Press...
Yassin was the highest-ranking Palestinian leader ever targeted by Israel, and top fugitives, including Mohammed Deif, No. 1 on Israel's wanted list, were also in the room, security officials told The Associated Press. Yassin was slightly wounded in his right hand, and 15 people were also hurt. Deif, the top fugitive, survived Israel's third attempt on his life; his assistant, Adnan Al-Ghoul, also got away, Israeli security officials said.
| Adnan's so aptly named... |
The officials said the attack failed because Israel used a smaller bomb to avoid harming civilians. In a July 2002 attack, a warplane dropped a one-ton bomb that killed its target - Hamas military leader Salah Shehadeh - but also 14 bystanders, among them several children, prompting an international outcry. Bodyguards carried Yassin out of the building and he was driven away in his brown four-wheel drive Land Rover. Yassin surfaced at a Gaza City mosque, where he renewed threats of revenge. Yassin, a frail, 68-year-old sheik widely revered among his followers, denied he was meeting with Hamas commanders in the targeted apartment. "Their (the Israelis') intelligence is giving them wrong information, and this is only an excuse to bombard and kill innocent people," Yassin said. "I was visiting my friend."
| "We weren't plotting death and destruction. We were having sex... Yes. All three of us... " |
Futures: This was like cheating â too close to the fact. I actually thought it would happen later this week. But tu3031 cheated worse than I did. He peeked...
Event: Abbas gets tossed
Group: Paleostinians
Narrative: Mahmoud Abbas vote of no confidence as Arafat tries to reassert power...
Window: 1 Months (10/5/03) Probability 85% entered by Fred on 9/5/03
Probability 100% entered by tu3031 on 9/6/03
Overall opinion is Highly Probable (92%)
Posted by: Fred & Frank G 2003-09-06 |
