Archive for March 20, 2012

Gaza Terrorists Resume Rocket Attacks

March 20, 2012

Gaza Terrorists Resume Rocket Attacks – Defense/Security – News – Israel National News.

Gaza terrorists fired a rocket on the Negev, causing no damage or injuries but showing Israel they do not intend to keep the “calm.”

 

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 3/19/2012, 10:55 AM

 

Kassam rocket

Kassam rocket
Flash 90

 

Gaza terrorists fired a Kassam rocket on the Western Negev Monday morning, causing no damage or injuries but showing Israel they do not intend to keep the “calm.”

Rocket attacks on rural areas are a favorite tactic by Hamas and allied terrorists to harass Israel and draw the IDF into a retaliation that foreign media usually portray as “disproportionate.” Occasionally, a Kassam rocket explodes at a building and causes injuries or even death, in which case the media judge that Israel has more of a right to respond.

The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Monday defined the eruption of missile attacks on southern Israel 10 days ago as “inconclusive fighting” with “possible implications for the future.”

Despite the success of the Iron Dome system in protecting Be’er Sheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod, its 80-90 percent rate of success still leaves one million residents open to a lethal missile attack, the report noted.

“Unless active defense is 100 percent effective, it will not eliminate the need for passive defense or prevent massive disruption of normal life inside the envelope of the rockets. Nor will it spare the government the need to take weighty strategic decisions that it would prefer to avoid,” according to the Institute.

“Only sheer luck stood between government reluctance to embark on large scale escalation and irresistible domestic pressure to do so,” it observed.

The report also said that the unstable political situation in Egypt does not guarantee that the regime can act in the future as an intermediary to tone down the violence, as it did last week.

“Political volatility in Egypt means that the Egyptian security establishment may not be able to go on playing this role in the future, even if its world-view remains unchanged,” the INSS study stated. “Presidential elections in Egypt are scheduled,…[and] unlike in the past, the outcome of this Egyptian presidential election cannot be known in advance.”

It also pointed out that the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) have “hijacked” Hamas’s agenda and were behind most of the attack.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all terrorist attacks from Gaza, where the terrorist organization took  over in a bloody militia war five years, ousting the Fatah faction ruled by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. However, Hamas has lost total control over rival terrorists, leaving the Gaza region subject to unofficial anarchy under the guise of an organized government.

Knesset Approves Internet in Public Shelters

March 20, 2012

Knesset Approves Internet in Public Shelters – Defense/Security – News – Israel National News.

The Knesset approves preliminary reading of a bill that requires public shelters to include infrastructure for wireless internet access.
By Elad Benari

First Publish: 3/20/2012, 4:12 AM

 

Public shelter

Public shelter
Flash 90

The Knesset approved on Monday the preliminary reading of a bill that requires public shelters to include infrastructure for internet access.

According to the bill, which was submitted by Orly Levy-Abekasis (Yisrael Beiteinu), a public shelter located in a community defined by an order of the Minister of Defense as being located in an area of confrontation will be set up with a wireless internet communication.

The explanatory notes to the bill said that “the Second Lebanon War in the north and Operation Cast Lead in the south have created a reality which is difficult and complex for hundreds of thousands of residents for whom normal life stopped and a routine of war became a fact of life. During this period, the educational system in these communities shut down and children and teenagers had to sit idly in shelters, scared and frustrated.”

The notes added, “For a long time period, children and teenagers whose home does not have a protected space had to stay in public shelters without a regulated education system, educational programs and cultural enrichment, which led to gaps and lost educational time.

“In today’s advanced digital age, networking all public shelters with a high speed wireless internet connection is an important need which will allow, during periods of war and confrontation, for studies, classes and enrichment. In addition, an internet connection will allow residents in shelters to be involved in what is happening around them and will help ease the tension and anxieties of those who sit for long periods in shelters and protected public spaces.”

The bill, which passed unanimously, will now be transferred to the Knesset’s Labor, Social Affairs and Health Committee, where it will be prepared for its first reading.

‘Israeli strike on Iran would cost US lives’

March 20, 2012

‘Israeli strike on Iran would co… JPost – Iranian Threat – News.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
03/20/2012 00:47
US officials tell ‘New York Times’ that a recent classified US military drill tested reaction to Israeli strike on Iran.

USAF F16s By REUTERS/Handout .

An Israeli strike against Iran would indirectly result in the deaths of hundreds of Americans, the New York Times quoted US officials as saying Monday.

According to the report, the US military held a war simulation exercise earlier this month to assess the the American capabilities to respond to an Israeli attack on Iran. The exercise determined that such a strike would lead to a wider regional conflict, which could draw US involvement.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the classified nature of the exercise, officials said that the the drill was not designed as a rehearsal for US military action, but rather to measure US military preparedness to threats.

The two-week war game, called “Internal Look,” involved a hypothetical IDF strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. The US military was drawn into the conflict after Iranian missiles struck a US warship in the Persian Gulf, killing 200 navy personnel. The US retaliated by hitting Iranian nuclear facilities.

In the drill, the Iranian nuclear program was set back a total of three years- one by the initial Israeli strike and two by the US military.

IDF creating 2 new units in face of missile threat

March 20, 2012

IDF creating 2 new units in face of missile th… JPost – Defense.

03/20/2012 04:43
Israel to finalize establishment of new search-and-rescue units by end of 2013 for rapid response in event of future war; Home Front Command also looking to procure independent UAV capability.

Home Front Command search and rescue soldiers By Wikimedia Commons

The IDF Home Front Command plans to finalize the establishment of two new search-and-rescue battalions by the end of next year to be able to provide a rapid response capability in the event of a future war.

Brig.-Gen. Zviki Tessler, deputy commander of the Home Front Command, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the establishment of the new battalions would dramatically improve the IDF’s ability to assist the civilian population.

He also revealed that the soldiers in the search-and-rescue battalions would soon undergo training to become certified firefighters.

“This will allow us to give a balanced and effective response to the challenges ahead,” Tessler said.

The Home Front Command currently has two search-and-rescue battalions.

The interview with Tessler took place at the Tel Hashomer Induction Center near Tel Aviv where the Home Front Command was receiving a new batch of recruits as part of the IDF’s annual “March Draft.” Officers said that this year’s draft into the Home Front Command was the largest ever and was marked by an unprecedented increase in motivation to serve in its units with more than one soldier competing for each available spot.

The draft was held just days after a shaky cease-fire went into effect in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Islamic Jihad. During last week’s violence, over 300 rockets were fired into Israel.

“We believe that the home front is prepared but we cannot rest and there is always room to improve,” Tessler said. “Once we have these new battalions, our capabilities will be better.”

The new battalions will not be divided throughout the country’s various regions but will be mobile, with the ability to deploy as needed and based on operational requirements.

In another step aimed at improving its response to missile attacks, Tessler said that the Home Front Command was looking to procure unmanned aerial vehicles to use for damage assessment following missile attacks against Israel.

Tests were recently conducted on two UAVs – Elbit Systems’ Skylark I LE and BlueBird Aero System’s MicroB. Both are lightweight man-launched UAVs that provide “under the clouds” surveillance.

“This would give us as an independent capability without needing to rely on anyone to provide us with UAVs when they will be needed,” Tessler said.

The Home Front Command currently tracks missile attacks with the use of radars operated by the Israel Air Force. The two branches recently established a joint command center where they track missile launches into Israel and activate air sirens for population centers projected to be the targets of incoming rockets.