Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The air-defense system has maintained an interception rate of more than 90 percent, despite the heavy barrages directed at Israeli cities by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
As the current firepower of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad demonstrates, Gaza’s factions have not been resting on their laurels in recent years, exploiting a period of quiet to create a domestic industry of weapons production.
“Hamas uses the civil platform to shoot at us. It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and the Israeli army. But we are doing all we can to distinguish between the two components,” the official told JNS.
IAF sends 80 aircraft to destroy 150 rocket-launch pits in Gaza • IDF eliminates senior terror commanders, including heads of Hamas’s rocket unit and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s anti-tank unit • Military assessment: Escalation will only intensify.
“We are trying to locate and kill terror operatives wherever they are,” says Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
“Terror organizations in Gaza crossed a red line and attacked us with missiles at the entrance to Jerusalem. Those who attack us will pay a heavy price,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israel Defense Forces presented various options at the cabinet meeting to target Hamas sites and get them to clamp down on Islamic Jihad, which seems to be behind the attacks.
“The United States must not tolerate anybody who provides support to these radical Islamic terrorists,” said Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.).
Fresh capabilities, in addition to re-evaluating offense and defense, are coming into play in the IDF, which assumes that in five years, its enemies will possess much greater abilities.
The exercise, codenamed “The Strong Base” (a Koranic reference), involved the firing of rockets into the sea and a simulated naval commando raid on Israel.
Nov. 12 will mark one year since Israel’s elimination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu Ata.
This display of the IDF’s technological capability could serve to discourage Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad from wasting further funds on cross-border tunnels.
