Hamas boosting anti-aircraft arsenal with looted Libyan missiles

[oberliner]

The improved quality of anti-aircraft missiles held by Hamas in Gaza is increasingly worrying the Israeli defense establishment. Hamas recently managed to smuggle relatively advanced Russian missiles, which were looted from Libyan military warehouses, into the Gaza Strip. Israel is worried about the presence of the missiles, both because they curb the air force's almost unlimited freedom of movement over Gaza today, and because of their possible use against civil aviation in Eilat.

Shoulder-fired anti-aicraft missiles have been smuggled into Gaza in recent years at Iran's initiative. But the fall of Muammar Gadhafi's regime has enabled Hamas to bring in much higher quality missiles - and in much larger quantities.

Rings of smugglers utilized the riots in Libya to break into military storage facilities and steal large quantities of weapons, some of which have relatively advanced capabilities. The weapons were then sold to terrorist organizations, first and foremost to various Palestinian factions. It seems that extremist Islamist organizations in Somalia also bought large quantities of weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/hamas-boosting-anti-aircraft-arsenal-with-looted-libyan-missiles-1.392186

[DesertFlower]

1. as long as hamas is in power there will

never be peace. very sad for the palestinian people who want peace.

[oberliner]

4. Would that they won't remain for long

Elections, anyone?

[Violet_Crumble]

2. If they're just used against military aircraft over Gaza, that's fine...

Using them against civilian planes in Israel would be entirely different...

[oberliner]

3. Really?

You don't think that could spark great violence and bloodshed?

I would think an Israeli military plane being shot down over Gaza would be pretty bad news for both Israelis and Palestinians.

[pelsar]

8. of course it would.....

....everytime they try something new, something violent, they get a short term burst, and then israel re adjusts, adapts and the end result is that the Palestinians are worse off then before. History is full of these examples, the two obvious examples are the checkpoints, that were first used in greater numbers during intifada i, and when intifada II, with the Palestinians "new and improved killing methods, rendered them inefficient, they got the wall.....

and anti aircraft weapons?......thats a direct threat to israeli civilian aircraft, that obviously would be a nice fat target for the various islamic groups.

The military could handle the threat to itself, just by using less exact drones or less exact artillery or larger bombs to make sure the target is hit, that part is easy to solve, though obviously the gazans would be "paying" for the change in weapons used... but its their choice and there are always consequences for ones actions.

[oberliner]

9. Are you responding to me or the poster above?

I was expressing surprise with that poster's comments.

[pelsar]

11. just a general comment on my part....

too many times there is s short sightedness as to the consequences for actions taken.......

[King_David]

5. Israel should lift the siege,

The Jewish State is safe now.

[oberliner]

6. I thought they already had

What's the state of "the siege" these days

[shira]

7. Predictable. The West is empowering extreme reactionary elements (like the MB) in the mideast.

The smugglers doing the looting are the ones being empowered.

Is it any wonder Israel had reservations about this Arab Spring?

[shira]

10. The West is hijacking Arab revolutions to the benefit of Islamists

While the West speaks of the necessity of accepting the results of the democratic process, in terms of Islamists coming to power in the Arab region, there are increased suspicions regarding the goals pursued by the West in its new policy of rapprochement with the Islamist movement, in what is a striking effort at undermining modern, secular and liberal movements.

more...

http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2011/10/30/174441.html