Hamas Develops New “High-powered” Short-range Rockets

March 29, 2017

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Wednesday, 29 March 2017 | As tensions on the Jewish state’s border with the Gaza Strip continue to mount, Israel’s Army Radio reported yesterday that Hamas had added dozens of new, more powerful rockets to its weapons arsenal.

The report stated that the high-powered, short-range rockets were developed to carry hundreds of kilograms [pounds] of explosive material to inflict maximum damage. Moreover, the rocket’s shorter range of up to 10 kilometers [6.2 miles], similar to the range of mortar shells, indicates that the terror group intends to use these rockets to attack Israeli border communities during future conflicts with the Jewish state.

According to the report, Israelis living in towns closest to Gaza face the most danger. Where the Iron Dome has proven highly successful in shooting down short-range projectiles with a range of up to 75 kilometers [46.6 miles], thus saving countless Israeli lives, the anti-missile system is less effective against mortar shells and rockets with more limited ranges as it cannot pinpoint and neutralize them fast enough.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror organization perched on Israel’s northern border, has similar rockets in its cache. This is, however, the first time that Hamas has acquired such projectiles. According to Army Radio, the rockets are “completely different than any weaponry we know from the direction of the Gaza Strip, regarding the weight of the explosive payload.”

Following the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, a ceasefire has meant relative calm for Israelis living in border communities. For the first time in three decades, 2016 saw no Israeli casualties as a result of attacks from Gaza, The Times of Israel reports.

However, even though Operation Protective Edge enabled the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to achieve its aim of restoring security to Israeli civilians living under Hamas rocket fire and dismantling the Hamas terror tunnel network used to infiltrate Israel, a senior IDF official confirmed last month that Hamas has succeeded in rebuilding its military capabilities to the level prior to the 2014 war. The official explained that the Islamist terror group had replenished its arsenal of weapons, including their stockpile of rockets and rebuilt their terror tunnel network.

The next battle between the Jewish state and Hamas has thus become a question of when, not if. Moreover, according to The Times of Israel, the death of top Hamas official, Mazen Fukha, last week in the Gaza Strip raises the possibility that such a confrontation might come sooner than later. Hamas head Khaled Mashaal believes that Israel is behind Fukha’s death and vowed revenge.

“Israel decided to change the rules of the game,” Mashaal raged on Monday, “and we accept the challenge.”

For its part, the Jewish state has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement in the incident.

While Hamas has been hard at work developing its newest methods of killing Jews—and placing its own civilians in mortal danger in the process—Israel has focused on protecting its people from harm.

Earlier this month the IDF’s Home Front Command revealed a contingency plan to evacuate up to a quarter of a million civilians from border communities in the event of war with Hamas and Hezbollah. “We are prepared for every scenario and if we need to evacuate, we will evacuate,” said Ashkelon Coast Regional Council head Yair Farjoun. “Civilians do not need to be on the front lines.”

Late last year, the Jewish state also invested $530 million in constructing an underground barrier along the Gaza border to protect soldiers and civilians from terrorist infiltration into Israel through Hamas terror tunnels.  At the time, IDF Chief of Staff, General Gadi Eisenkot hailed the barrier as “the largest project” that the Israeli military has ever undertaken.

Posted on March 29, 2017

Source: (Bridges for Peace, 29 March 2017)

Photo Credit: Ashernet