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DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security.

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 29, 2011, 10:05 PM (GMT+02:00)

Israel under Palestinian Grad multiple rocket fire

Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sderot, Kiryat Malachi, Ofakim, Gan Yavne and the Eshkol farm district were subjected to Jihad Islami volleys of more than 35 missiles Saturday, Oct. 29, in retaliation for the loss of a senior five-man missile team in an Israeli air force strike a few hours earlier. A residential building in Ashkelon took a direct hit injuring 2 people and in Ashdod a fire was started between high-rise buildings. Some 45 shock victims were treated. The damage was extensive.
Jihad Islami was shown firing 20 rounds in rapid succession from a Grad multiple rocket launcher mounted on a small truck which then drove off at speed. The same Russian-made multiple launchers were in common use with the Libyan rebels in the last weeks of the battle for Sirte.

Israel’s Homeland Defense commander in the South warned that the escalation is just beginning. The police have raised national security preparedness to one below the highest level.
debkafile‘s military sources report that it took the IDF five hours from the first launch of Jihad Islami’s massive missile offensive Saturday to place the Iron Dome anti-missile system in position and deploy the air force against the terrorists  firing from Gaza.

Iran FM: Tehran wants good relations with U.S. but not Israel – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

Ali Akbar Salehi says current conditions do not allow for good Iranian-U.S. relations; says Hilary Clinton remarks are contradictory.

By Reuters

Iran would like to have friendly relations with the United States one day, but not under current conditions, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Saturday.

Commenting on remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this week that Washington supported the Iranian people while opposing the policies of their government, her Iranian counterpart said her message did not add up.

	Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaking in Ankara, January 17, 2011.
	Photo by: AP

“We have heard such statements over and over again but unfortunately they are full of contradictions,” Salehi told a news conference.

Iranian leaders routinely blame the United States for many of their country’s ills, often calling it “the great Satan”.

The two countries broke diplomatic ties following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Relations remain tense, with Washington accusing Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism, charges denied by Tehran.

“Our policy is the establishment of (good) relations with all countries of the world except the illegal Zionist regime (Israel),” Salehi said.

“However the re-establishment of ties would have meaning (only) when the two parties enter negotiations on an equal basis, on the same level, free of any preconditions.”

Nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers, including the United States, have stalled. Washington is pressing for new sanctions on Iran after uncovering what it says was an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

It is not the first time Iran has sent a signal that reconciliation with Washington might be possible someday under different circumstances. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said he “loves” the American people.

“We have no problems of the people of the United States. We love them. We have problems with the government of the United States,” he said in a recent interview with CNN.

In similar vein, Clinton told Iranians, in an interview with Voice of America this week: “The United States has no argument with you. We want to support your aspirations … We would be thrilled if tomorrow the regime in Iran had a change of mind.”

On the possibility of resuming talks, Salehi was downbeat.

“On the one hand there is an expressed desire for negotiation but on the other hand there is (U.S.) rhetoric that does not correspond with (that),” he said.

“As long as these contradictions persist and there is a lack of goodwill, negotiations will certainly not have any meaning.”

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security.

DEBKAfile Special Report October 29, 2011, 7:24 PM (GMT+02:00)

Jihad Islami ready for action

The fifth Grad missile to explode in Ashdod port town Saturday night, Oct. 29, set a nine-floor building on fire, after an empty school yard was hit. Three more landed in the Western Negev, another in Gan Yavneh causing minor injuries to one person and several shock cases, and two hits on empty ground in Ofakim. As Beersheba went on missile alert, three mortar rounds hit the Eshkol farm district.

More than 10 Grad missiles, several Qassam and mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip between 1700 and 2000 hours.
Nine people were injured. The damage to property and vehicles is extensive.
Inhabitants of southern Israel within 40-kilometer radius from the Gaza Strip were ordered to stay close to fortified areas.
During the day, Israeli air force hit a Jihad Islami facility in Gaza killing its missile operations chief.

debkafile reported earlier Saturday:

An Israeli air strike against a Palestinian Jihad Islami camp near Rafah, southern Gaza, Saturday Oct. 29, killed Ahmad Sheikh Halil, head of its missile engineering and production arm and foiled another planned attack. “Abu Khader ranked high in the Jihad’s Al Qods unit. The Israel raid also killed five of his team members who Wednesday fired three Grad missiles from Hamas-ruled Gaza at Beer Tuvia and Gan Yavne.

Although only one Grad attack was reported, our sources report that at least three missiles were actually aimed at undisclosed towns and at least one strategic site in southern Israel. debkafile‘s military sources calculate that this barrage was a range-finding run in preparation for a major offensive from a launching pad west of Rafah – probably against targets near Beersheba.
Those sources report that Saturday’s air strike foiled this attack. The Jihad Islami’s immediate response was a threat to hit back “deep inside Israel,” prompting a high missile alert in central and southern Israel.

According to debkafile‘s sources, Jihad Islami is acting on orders from Tehran and Damascus to make trouble and provoke a fresh Hamas-Israel confrontation for the purpose of derailing the deal behind the Shalit prisoner swap which provides for the transfer of Hamas’ political headquarters out of the Syrian capital to Cairo and Amman.
The top-level Hamas desertion would seriously undermine Bashar Assad at a time when he needs all the help he can get against the popular uprising against him. It would also deprive Iran of a strong Palestinian asset under its control.

The Israeli-Egyptian border north of Eilat is also on terror alert against the large Jihad Islami cell standing by in Sinai for some weeks waiting for the chance for a multiple-casualty-cum-abduction attack.

Rocket from Gaza lands near home in Ashdod; 1 … JPost – Defense.

    A long-range rocket fell in a parking lot between two residential buildings in Ashdod on Saturday evening. One person was lightly injured and extensive damage was reported.

Firefighters were dousing flames in Ashdod that erupted following rocket strike.

RELATED:
Palestinian rocket fired from Gaza explodes near Beersheba
Iron Dome battery moved south after Gaza-rocket attacks

Ashdod mayor Yehiel Lasri told Channel 2, “Ashdod is under attack, without a doubt.”

A Magen David Adom spokesman said: “This was a miracle. It could have ended much worse.”

An additional rocket fell in Eshkol, causing damage.

Earlier on Saturday, terror cells in Gaza launched four rockets into Israel on following an IAF attack an Islamic Jihad camp in the southern Gaza Strip.

One rocket hit a school in Ashdod which was empty at the time. A second rocket feel in the Gan Yavne Regional Council where passer-by was lightly injured by shrapnel. He was evacuated to hospital.

A third rocket struck the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council – which was also targeted earlier this week, while a fourth slammed into the Pithat Shalom Regional Council.

The Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades took responsibility for the rocket attacks.

The rocket fire came after an Islamic Jihad commander and four other terrorists were killed during the IAF attack.

The strike in Rafah followed an unprovoked long-range rocket attack on Israel on Thursday.

Islamic Jihad said an explosion in the training camp killed Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil, a munitions expert and one of its top commanders, as well as four comrades. An Islamic Jihad source said the dead may include senior figures other than Khalil.

“Those targeted were a group of leaders,” the source said.

Doctors said two Palestinians were also wounded in the incident, during which witnesses reported IDF helicopters overhead.

An IDF spokesman confirmed there had been an attack but did not immediately elaborate.

In the West Bank on Saturday, one man was lightly injured when settlers clashed with Palestinians and left-wing activists in Beit Omer near Gush Etzion.

The IDF was called in to disperse the crowd.

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security.

DEBKAfile Special Report October 29, 2011, 3:39 PM (GMT+02:00)

Jihad Islami ready for action

An Israeli air strike against a Palestinian Jihad Islami camp near Rafah, southern Gaza, Saturday Oct. 29, killed Ahmad Sheikh Halil, head of its missile engineering and production arm and foiled another planned attack. “Abu Khader ranked high in the Jihad’s Al Qods unit. The Israel raid also killed five of his team members who Wednesday fired three Grad missiles from Hamas-ruled Gaza at Beer Tuvia and Gan Yavne.

Although only one Grad attack was reported, our sources report that at least three missiles were actually aimed at undisclosed towns and at least one strategic site in southern Israel. debkafile‘s military sources calculate that this barrage was a range-finding run in preparation for a major offensive from a launching pad west of Rafah – probably against targets near Beersheba.
Those sources report that Saturday’s air strike foiled this attack. The Jihad Islami’s immediate response was a threat to hit back “deep inside Israel,” prompting a high missile alert in central and southern Israel.

As night fell Saturday, two missiles exploded in Ashdod – one in an empty school courtyard. A third in Gan Yavne caused minor injuries to one person and several shock cases.

According to debkafile‘s sources, Jihad Islami is acting on orders from Tehran and Damascus to make trouble and provoke a fresh Hamas-Israel confrontation for the purpose of derailing the deal behind the Shalit prisoner swap which provides for the transfer of Hamas’ political headquarters out of the Syrian capital to Cairo and Amman.
The top-level Hamas desertion would seriously undermine Bashar Assad at a time when he needs all the help he can get against the popular uprising against him. It would also deprive Iran of a strong Palestinian asset under its control.

The Israeli-Egyptian border north of Eilat is also on terror alert against the large Jihad Islami cell standing by in Sinai for some weeks waiting for the chance for a multiple-casualty-cum-abduction attack.

3 Grad rockets explode in South; 1 person ligh… JPost – Defense.

    Three Grad rockets were fired at southern Israel on Saturday following an IAF attack an Islamic Jihad camp in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two of the rockets exploded in Ashdod and one in Gan Yavne. One person was lightly injured in Ashdod and two teenage sisters age 15 and 18 were treated for shock in Gan Yavne.

One of the rockets that was fired at Ashdod was found in the courtyard of a school.

The rocket fire came after an Islamic Jihad commander and four other terrorists were killed during the IAF attack.

The strike in Rafah followed an unprovoked long-range rocket attack on Israel on Thursday.

Islamic Jihad said an explosion in the training camp killed Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil, a munitions expert and one of its top commanders, as well as four comrades. An Islamic Jihad source said the dead may include senior figures other than Khalil.

“Those targeted were a group of leaders,” the source said.

Doctors said two Palestinians were also wounded in the incident, during which witnesses reported IDF helicopters overhead.

An IDF spokesman confirmed there had been an attack but did not immediately elaborate.

In the West Bank on Saturday, one man was lightly injured when settlers clashed with Palestinians and left-wing activists in Beit Omer near Gush Etzion.

Syria forces shell city of Homs day after deadly crackdown – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

Syrian activists report more casualties a day after security forces kill nearly 40 people in one of the deadliest days in recent months.

By The Associated Press

Syrian troops shelled a restive district on Saturday and conducted sweeping raids, one day after security forces killed about 40 people in one of the deadliest crackdowns in months in the country’s uprising, activists said.

The Syrian opposition’s two main activist groups, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordinating Committees, said shells slammed into the Baba Amr district of Homs. Raids and arrests also were reported around the eastern city of Deir el-Zour.

	Mourners carry coffins during the funerals of protesters killed in earlier clashes in the Syrian city of Homs, April 18, 2011.
	Photo by: Reuters

Activists said there were casualties, but their number was not immediately clear.
The popular revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has proved remarkably resilient over the past seven months, with protests erupting every week despite the near-certainty the government will respond with bullets and tear gas. The U.N. estimates the regime crackdown on the protests has killed 3,000 people since March.

Much of the bloodshed Friday happened after protests had ended and security forces armed with machine guns chased protesters and activists, according to opposition groups monitoring the demonstrations. Authorities disrupted telephone and Internet service, they said. At least 40 people were killed, according to the observatory and the LCC.

Syria has largely sealed off the country from foreign journalists and prevented independent reporting, making it difficult to confirm events on the ground. Key sources of information are amateur videos posted online, witness accounts and details gathered by activist groups.

The regime appears to lack sufficient numbers of loyal troops to garrison all the centers of unrest at the same time, so government forces will often sweep through an area in the wake of protests, breaking up new gatherings and hunting activists, before being deployed elsewhere.

The result has been a months long stalemate. Still, the capture and subsequent death of Libya’s Muammar Gadhafi, under still-unclear circumstances, has energized the opposition. Last week, thousands of Syrians took to the streets shouting that Assad will be next.

On Friday, many protesters said they wanted a no-fly zone established over Syria to protect civilians in case the Syrian regime considers attacking protesters from the sky, the activist groups said. The protesters also called for international monitors, although most opposition groups reject the idea of foreign military intervention.

The Syrian government insists the unrest is being driven by terrorists and foreign extremists looking to stir up sectarian strife.

Diplomats: No breakthrough at Syria atom… JPost – International

 

Photo by: Courtesy

By REUTERS
10/29/2011 11:27

Visit was disappointing, Syria refuses to provide access to sites, still claims Deir al-Zor was not nuclear reactor, Western diplomat says.

Talkbacks ()

    The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog has also been seeking information about other sites that may have been linked to Deir al-Zor.

Syria says Deir al-Zor was a non-nuclear military facility, but the IAEA concluded in May that it was “very likely” to have been a reactor that should have been declared.

Diplomats said there was no real progress on this sticking point at the Damascus talks.

“It was a disappointing visit. Syria is still refusing to provide access to additional sites, still claims that Deir al-Zor was not a nuclear reactor,” a Western diplomat said.

Another diplomat said that while Syria was sticking to its assertion that Deir al-Zor was a non-nuclear military site it had offered cooperation to back this up. There were no further details.

A third diplomat said the meeting “yielded nothing substantial,” adding that Syria’s crackdown on more than seven months of pro-democracy protests may be complicating decision-making in Damascus on nuclear issues.

The outcome of the meeting will be reported to the IAEA’s 35-nation board, which next meets on Nov. 17-18.

In June, the IAEA Board of Governors voted to report Syria to the UN Security Council, rebuking it for failing to cooperate with the agency’s efforts to get concrete information on Deir al-Zor and other sites. Russia and China opposed the referral, highlighting divisions among the major powers.

Terrorist leader killed in IAF strike on Gaza … JPost – Defense.

    Israeli forces attacked an Islamic Jihad camp in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing a commander of the Palestinian faction and four other militants, officials on both sides said.

The strike in Rafah, a town on Gaza’s border with Egypt, followed a Palestinian rocket salvo on Thursday which landed deep in Israel but caused no casualties.

Islamic Jihad said an explosion in the training camp killed Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil, a munitions expert and one of its top commanders, as well as four comrades. An Islamic Jihad source said the dead may include senior figures other than Khalil.

“Those targeted were a group of leaders,” the source said.

Doctors said two Palestinians were also wounded in the incident, during which witnesses reported Israeli helicopters overhead.

In Jerusalem, an Israeli military spokesman confirmed there had been an attack but did not immediately elaborate.

Islamic Jihad, a sometime ally of Gaza’s ruling Hamas, has chafed at recent efforts by the more powerful faction to impose de facto ceasefires with Israel.

In the West Bank on Saturday, one man was lightly injured when settlers clashed with Palestinians and left-wing activists in Beit Omer near Gush Etzion.

The IDF was called in to disperse the crowd.

Arab foreign ministers tell Assad to stop ‘the continued killings of civilians’.

Al Arabiya

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Young Syrian residents in Jordan take part in a demonstration against President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman. (Reuters)

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