Saturday, February 21, 2009

Katyusha Rocket Attack From Lebanon Hits Inside Of Israel, 3 Wounded




The Jerusalem Post here is reporting that a Katyusha rocket attack fired from southern Lebanon into Israel has injured three Israelis this morning. The IDF has responded back with artillery fire directed at the launch points of the rockets.

Here's more of the details:



Two and a half weeks after United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon discovered five rockets ready to be launched toward Israel, a Katyusha rocket slammed into the western Galilee near the town of Ma'alot on Saturday morning, lightly wounding three people.

While police and security forces arrived at the scene to investigate the attack, the IDF responded by firing artillery shells at the Katyusha launch pads.
Residents of Israel's north were not instructed to enter bomb shelters following the attack, indicating that the security forces did not expect additional attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but over here at DEBKA, they are blaming it on a "new" ragtag terror group that is pro-Saudi. According to that article:



This ragtag group of Palestinian, Syrian, Lebanese and Iraqi terrorists is headed jointly by Jamail Hamad, a Palestinian Sunni Moslem, and Gandi Suhmurani, a Lebanese Shiite, with funding from Saudi intelligence to buy recruits, weapons, explosives and rockets.
Most of the recruits are drawn from groups linked to al Qaeda, such as the violent Jund al Sham, Hizbt al Nasser and Fatah al Islam and ex-Sunni insurgents on the run from Iraq.

I don't see any kind of connection on this to Hezbollah but at the same time, if more of these rockets were to fly into Israel, it would put the Lebanese military in a tough spot - I don't see Israel accepting much here and if more attacks happens, I think they will forego the artillery attacks for some IAF strikes. Could be a volatile weekend.



Katyusha hits Galilee, 3 people hurt

No one has claimed responsibility for the rocket firing, but Israeli officials stressed that the government holds Lebanon responsible for the attack, carried out from its territory, Israel Radio reported.
The officials noted that Lebanon must prevent attacks against Israel and need to ensure that UN resolutions are not violated.
On Saturday afternoon, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora ocondemned both the rockets fired from southern Lebanon into Israel in the morning and the Israeli retaliation.
In a statement, Saniora said the rockets fired from southern Lebanon "threatened security and stability" in the region and violated UN resolution 1701.
He also condemned the Israeli firing of artillery shells at the launch pads, calling it "an unjustified violation of Lebanese sovereignty."
Senior Fatah commander in Lebanon Sultan Abul-Einein condemned the attack as well, and said it was not carried out by any group connected to the PLO, Israel Radio reported.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army, together with UN peacekeepers, discovered the launch pads used to fire the rockets.
Earlier in February, UN staff discovered five rockets ready to be launched north of the southern Lebanese town of Nakoura.

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