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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Netanyahu: Hamas has obtained anti-aircraft missiles |
| 2010-10-19 |
| Gazoo's Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, rulers have obtained anti-aircraft missiles, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, in a potentially game-changing development that could threaten the Israeli air force's ability to strike at the Islamic thug group. Israeli aircraft have long dominated the skies over Gazoo, striking suspected Hamas military installations and assassinating dozens of wanted thugs. The Israeli air force played a key role in a fierce three-week offensive in Gazoo early last year, which began with Speaking to his Likud Party, Netanyahu disclosed that Israel's aerial freedom has been compromised by the new weaponry in Gazoo, presumably smuggled into the area through tunnels connected to neighboring Egypt. He said any future peace agreement would have to include security arrangements to deal with the threat. Israel believes that despite its military offensive and Egypt's stated goal of halting arms smuggling, Hamas has managed to restock its arsenal with longer-range missiles that can strike the heart of Israel. Netanyahu's assessment was the first time an Israeli official has openly said Hamas also possesses anti-aircraft weaponry, though intelligence officials have privately suspected that was the case.The security problem is not just the new rockets that will enter the area and will threaten city centers. "I don't know if you know this, but today we are struggling to fly near Gazoo because they have anti-aircraft missiles there", Netanyahu said. He warned that the missiles could also threaten air traffic at Israel's international airport. Israel's security needs are real, the solutions have to be real, not on paper. We need to find long-term solutions that give Israel security, he said. Netanyahu gave no evidence to support his claim, and Hamas accused the Israeli leader of spreading propaganda to justify future attacks in Gazoo. "These remarks reflect the intention of the Zionist enemy to commit more crimes and more future aggression against our people, taking advantage of the American support and the Arab silence," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas front man in Gazoo. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Israel has two international airports, one in the Tel Aviv area and one near Eliat, at Israel's southern tip. I suppose an aircraft taking off from Eliat going to Europe might be routed that way. The missiles in question are probably SA-7 or variants whose ceiling would certainly not exceed 10,000 feet, and the warhead would be unlikely to bring down a large commercial aircraft at altitude. Low-flying drones and helicopters over Gaza, on the other hand, would very much be at risk to such weapons. The presence of these manpads would likely would be enough to deter use of cannon (but not missiles) from Israeli helicopter gunships. |
| Posted by: Pstanley 2010-10-19 00:52 |