Rocket fired from Gaza explodes in southern Israel

[Jefferson23]

Sirens go off in cities of Rehovot and Rishon Letzion, as Grad rocket lands near Ashdod, ending the relative calm of recent months. No injuries reported.

By Haaretz

A Grad rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip and exploded near Ashdod late on Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries, but a number of people were treated for shock.

Sirens went off in Rehovot, Rishon Letzion and other cities in the area and the residents were told to take shelter.

Earlier this month, An Israeli air strike wounded three Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the air strike targeted a militant squad that was preparing to launch rockets across the border into Israel.

The Israel-Gaza border has been mostly quiet since the Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire after five days of cross-border violence in August.

It is still unclear which Palestinian group launched the rockets. However, Israeli intelligence officials believe that Hamas has no interest in escalation, as it is trying to leverage its success in bringing about the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, and are not behind the rocket attacks. Officials believe that a small faction is behind the attacks, which contradicts Hamas’ current policy in the Strip.


http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/rocket-fired-from-gaza-explodes-in-southern-israel-1.392179

[Hardrada]

1. I wish we weren't treated constantly to all this irrelevant stuff.

[henank]

2. I'm sure Israel's residents of the south agree with you

that they don't want to be "treated" to this "irrelevant stuff", except they wouldn't call it irrelevant with air raid sirens going off at night and missiles crashing about them.

[oberliner]

3. What does that mean?

Don't quite get what you are trying to say here.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. They're not irrelevant...

Those rockets do what they're intended to do, which is to create fear. There's nothing irrelevant about them. If they were being lobbed in my general direction, I'd be shit-scared, and if my sleep was disturbed with sirens, I'd be not just scared, but cranky. Israel's reaction to them isn't irrelevant either. Far better aimed missiles get fired into Gaza, causing fear in the population, and sometimes they kill innocent civilians. And then Israel goes 'but they started it first', and Hamas goes 'No! They started it first!' and then it all descends into yet another cycle of blame and retaliation where the only losers are civilians on both sides...

[King_David]

5. Israel should lift the unfair siege

They have no need for this siege , it is just a racist land grab.

[holdencaufield]

6. I'm not an expert...

... in the mechanics of siege warfare... but, historically, a siege is where the besiegers launch missiles (from catapults or rocket launchers) onto the territory being defended by the besieged.

[vminfla]

10. well said.

and let's curb the apartheid nonsense too.

[Alamuti Lotus]

7. "Iron Dome" propaganda exposed

another Mossad myth quietly falls by the wayside

[pelsar]

8. one reads the dumbest things here .......

here some info.....iron dome is not based on the enterprise, isn't built on phaser technology, its a combo of computers, data flow, chemical reactions, and human reactions, all of which make an imperfect system.

some intercepts are successful an some aren't.......thats how the real world worlds, you might want to come down and join us.

[oberliner]

9. The Iron Dome missile defense system successfully intercepted at least one

The Iron Dome missile defense system successfully intercepted at least one long-range Grad rocket fired at Beersheba Monday evening. Seven rockets fired from Gaza landed in the Beersheba area, according to reports. Rockets were also fired at Sderot, including one intercepted by Iron Dome and one that landed in the city. Earlier on Monday afternoon, a rocket landed in Ashkelon, shattering a cease fire that had begun at midnight.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/10/31/3090040/rockets-from-gaza-shatter-short-lived-calm

[hack89]

11. It didn't shoot because this particular rocket was not a threat to humans

Iron Dome will not engage if the rocket impact point is not threatening - say for example it was going to land in a field. Iron Dome only defends a small area that encompasses houses and public places where people will be.