Israel moves to counter Gaza militants' new weapon

[JEDIYoda]

Interesting read. I am waiting for the poor palestinian supporters to say -- At least those Russian rockets help even the odds....

How about all outside parties turn their back completely on the middle east and lets see what the middle east looks like in a month.....



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101222/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

JERUSALEM – Israel will deploy tanks equipped with a new defense system along the Gaza border after Palestinian militants for the first time used a sophisticated, tank-piercing missile believed to be the most advanced weapon in their arsenal.

Israeli defense officials said the laser-guided Kornet came from Iran, the top backer of Gaza's Hamas rulers. Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah guerrillas, also backed by Iran, used the Russian-made Kornets in their 2006 war against Israel, destroying or damaging several dozen Israeli tanks.

The Palestinian use of Kornet missiles, confirmed by Israel's military chief on Tuesday, marks a new milestone for Gaza militants, who have steadily built up their arsenal from a collection of crude, homemade rockets to include more menacing imported weapons.

Israel's answer is called Trophy, a first-of-its-kind Israeli-made system carried by tanks that is designed to shoot down missiles like the Kornet. The system, mounted on the side of a tank, detects an incoming missile and fires a projectile at it, destroying it, according to video of a test provided by the developer.

Violence has been escalating along the Gaza border in recent weeks. In his parliamentary testimony Tuesday, Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, confirmed militants fired a Kornet missile for the first time earlier this month, and it penetrated an Israeli tank.

He called the missile "one of the most dangerous in the battlefield." Ashkenazi said. He said the missile did not explode inside the tank, and no one was hurt.

The Israeli defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss such matters publicly, provided no proof to support their claim that the laser-guided missile came from Iran. Also, it was not clear how it was delivered. Hamas controls a network of smuggling tunnels along Gaza's southern border with Egypt, though Egypt has pledged to crack down on smuggling.

Hamas has not confirmed or denied possessing the missiles.

In the wake of the recent attack, the military decided to move to the Gaza border dozens of tanks equipped with the Israel-developed Trophy system, which detects incoming projectiles and shoots them down before they reach armored vehicles. Production of the Trophy was stepped after the 2006 war against Hezbollah.

The Trophy has not yet been tried on the battlefield, though the Defense Ministry says it has been tested successfully against a variety of weapons, including Kornets.

Israel's volatile front with Gaza has been relatively quiet since an overwhelming military offensive against Palestinian militants two years ago. But there has been a surge in violence in recent weeks, with militants firing rockets and mortars into Israel and Israel responding with airstrikes.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Meron Reuben, filed a complaint to the Security Council and to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday, calling the rocket attacks a violation of international law and warning that Israel "will continue to exercise its right to self-defense."

He urged the international community to send a "clear and resolute message" against the militant attacks and to give "appropriate attention to the smuggling of arms into Gaza."

Ban's U.N. representative, Robert Serry, condemned indiscriminate rocket and mortar attacks and acknowledged Israel's right to self defense. He also urged Israel to "exercise maximum restraint" to prevent civilian casualties.

The Kornet — made in Russia and sold widely overseas — is the most advanced weapon believed to be in the hands of Gaza militants.

In use since the mid-1990s, the Kornet is capable of penetrating armor up to four feet (1,200 mm) thick and has a range of about almost four miles (5.5 kilometers). It carries a warhead of 22 pounds (10 kilograms).

Armed groups also possess rockets capable of traveling up to 70 kilometers (40 miles), putting the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in their range.

The U.S. and Russia are developing similar systems, but the Israeli one is believed to be the first to be deployed on the battlefield.

 

[Orignal Earl]

How about all outside parties turn their back completely on the middle east and lets see what the middle east looks like in a month.....

Like we did to the Jews during WW2?

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Like we did to the Jews during WW2?

The Jews bombed civilians during WW2 and the Nazis retaliated for the acts of terrorism committed against them?

You should be careful where you thread my friend because right now you have your foot on a mine and no matter what you do at this point, you're fucked, the best you can hope for is that a friend can defuse the mine for you.

 

[brandonb]

Jews declared war on Hitler before Hitler ever did a thing to a Jew. But anyways. Israel has done more damage in a scale 1000:1 compared to the Arabs.

Use all the "terrorism" retorts you won't but the facts won't change. Honestly, I can't blame the Arabs.

 

[SamurAchzar]

But anyways. Israel has done more damage in a scale 1000:1 compared to the Arabs.

What would have happened to the Israelis if Israel lost the wars of 1948, 1967 or 1973?

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

The Jews bombed civilians during WW2 and the Nazis retaliated for the acts of terrorism committed against them?

You should be careful where you thread my friend because right now you have your foot on a mine and no matter what you do at this point, you're fucked, the best you can hope for is that a friend can defuse the mine for you.

What the fuck?

Jews declared war on Hitler before Hitler ever did a thing to a Jew. But anyways. Israel has done more damage in a scale 1000:1 compared to the Arabs.

Use all the "terrorism" retorts you won't but the facts won't change. Honestly, I can't blame the Arabs.

Holy shit, man. You just said that the Jews brought the Holocaust on themselves, and then you blamed the Israelis for defending themselves against rocket and mortar attacks. JoS' post should be aimed at you.

 

[Orignal Earl]

The Jews bombed civilians during WW2 and the Nazis retaliated for the acts of terrorism committed against them?

You should be careful where you thread my friend because right now you have your foot on a mine and no matter what you do at this point, you're fucked, the best you can hope for is that a friend can defuse the mine for you.

Na, I knew the analogy (word of the day) wasn't a good one. Kind of overlapping threads and messing with the Jedi.
I've been stuck in a hospital for over 2 months,and loaded up on morph, cut me some slack
Sheesh peeps let Jedi do it all the time

 

[JEDIYoda]

Na, I knew the analogy (word of the day) wasn't a good one. Kind of overlapping threads and messing with the Jedi.
I've been stuck in a hospital for over 2 months,and loaded up on morph, cut me some slack
Sheesh peeps let Jedi do it all the time

Your ignorance really doesn`t bother me...what bothers me is that you are not ignorant -- you truly mean what you are saying!!

blaming your ignorance on me and the hospital.....cut you some slack?
As we should allow you to be ignorant and not be responsible for what you say??

How about you take responsibility for your actions and just do not post until you are discharged your out of the mental ward....

 

[Orignal Earl]

Your ignorance really doesn`t bother me...what bothers me is that you are not ignorant -- you truly mean what you are saying!!

blaming your ignorance on me and the hospital.....cut you some slack?
As we should alloow you to be ignorant and not be responsible for what you say??

How about you take responsibility for your actions and just do not post unril you are discharged your out of the mental ward....

Lol

 

[brandonb]

Holy shit, man. You just said that the Jews brought the Holocaust on themselves, and then you blamed the Israelis for defending themselves against rocket and mortar attacks. JoS' post should be aimed at you.

I did?

All I said is that Jews and Israel during WW2 and today isn't as innocent as they seem to be. Jews declared War on Germany in 1935. And Israel's response has resulted in bombing entire countries over 1 man... (Lebanon)... So, I can't say I blame the Arabs for wanting to get some arms themselves. I would be if I was in their place.

 

[SamurAchzar]

And Israel's response has resulted in bombing entire countries over 1 man... (Lebanon)...

What 1 man are you talking about exactly?

 

[EagleKeeper]

I did?

All I said is that Jews and Israel during WW2 and today isn't as innocent as they seem to be. Jews declared War on Germany in 1935. And Israel's response has resulted in bombing entire countries over 1 man... (Lebanon)... So, I can't say I blame the Arabs for wanting to get some arms themselves. I would be if I was in their place.

An economic war by a group of people is much different end that a physical conflict between groups of people that are state sanctioned.

You are playing fast and loose with the word war. Or did you not read the article clearly. and just took the headline as gospel Link

The Israeli's did not bomb a country over just one person.
That person was the trigger to Israel invading Lebanon another to remove a hostile force that kept attacking it.
It was Hezbollah that went after that person who was on Israeli soil.
It was Hezbollah that also killed two other Israeli people on Israeli soil.
It was Hezbollah that also admitted that they severely miscalculated Israel's response.
It was Hezbollah that sued for peace after they were being whipped and had to run away.

Familiar refrain?

And then Hamas did the same thing a couple of years later.

Groups need to be accountable for their hostile actions. If you want to climb into the ring, you better be prepared to have more than hot air in ones corner.

 

[brandonb]

Common Courtesy. Point taken. Hezbollah takes the blame for starting the conflict. I agree. However, like I said, Israel's response was quite severe and didn't exactly target Hezbollah, instead cluster bombed the country in response.

What I'm saying is... A small skermish with Hezbollah going after solidiers to kidnap them so they'd be able to swap the captured turned into a conflict which resulted in civilian deaths. It's like me punching you in the nose (which is wrong on my part) and you retaliating by punching me in the nose, and my sister half a city away.

You won't make friends that way even if I was the one who started it and was wrong. In fact, it may cause some to be nervous of you, and they may want to find ways to defend themselves... Thats my point.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Only that Hizballah is better armed and trained than the Lebanese army, and Hizballah is a member of the Lebanese government and in effect controls the entire Southern Lebanon. So who's the sovereign here?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Common Courtesy. Point taken. Hezbollah takes the blame for starting the conflict. I agree. However, like I said, Israel's response was quite severe and didn't exactly target Hezbollah, instead cluster bombed the country in response.

What I'm saying is... A small skirmish with Hezbollah going after soldiers to kidnap them so they'd be able to swap the captured turned into a conflict which resulted in civilian deaths. It's like me punching you in the nose (which is wrong on my part) and you retaliating by punching me in the nose, and my sister half a city away.

You won't make friends that way even if I was the one who started it and was wrong. In fact, it may cause some to be nervous of you, and they may want to find ways to defend themselves... Thats my point.

As you have seen, anything less than a strong response generates the ability for a second wind by the opponent. Even though Hezbollah went crying to the UN for protection, afterwords, they broke their agreement about rearming and also went on the PR move stating that Israel was stopped by Hezbollah.

Hezbollah wanted to take the fight all the way up Lebanon, running for their life, endangering the civilian population at the same time. Israels primary aim was to destroy/cripple Hezbollah and then reduce civilian causalities, but not at the expense of its people when Hezbollah was hiding among and using the civilians and facilities as shields from the IDF. Hezbollah was essential a military force that controlled southern Lebanon, and part of the government. It was Israel against the proxie state of Lebanon. Cluster bombing was one way of attacking Hezbollah without endangering it's troops.

 

[SandEagle]

Looks too fat and white to be a Pali

 

[Throckmorton]

Your ignorance really doesn`t bother me...what bothers me is that you are not ignorant -- you truly mean what you are saying!!

blaming your ignorance on me and the hospital.....cut you some slack?
As we should allow you to be ignorant and not be responsible for what you say??

How about you take responsibility for your actions and just do not post until you are discharged your out of the mental ward....

What are you and JohnofSheffield talking about? I don't see what's so wrong with saying that turning our back on the middle east and "seeing what happens" is like turning our back on the Jews during the holocaust. Is an innocent life, be it Israeli or Muslim, somehow worth less than the life of a Jewish Holocaust victim?

Or maybe you guys are members of the "fuck em" camp that worships at the feet of Julian Assange.

 

[Murloc]

I can't blame anyone who is fighting against israel.
After all, it's a colony of invasors.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I can't blame anyone who is fighting against israel.
After all, it's a colony of invasors.

How so.....please enlighten us....but don`t forget to turn on the light first!!

So let me guess you have no links, what you are blabbering about is your mis-guided interpretation of what happens in the middle east!

 

[JEDIYoda]

What are you and JohnofSheffield talking about? I don't see what's so wrong with saying that turning our back on the middle east and "seeing what happens" is like turning our back on the Jews during the holocaust. Is an innocent life, be it Israeli or Muslim, somehow worth less than the life of a Jewish Holocaust victim?

Or maybe you guys are members of the "fuck em" camp that worships at the feet of Julian Assange.

WTF are you blabbering about??
I am in favor 100% of all party involved in the middle east turning there backs on the middle and east and in a months time see what happens......

As far as Julian assagne where does he play into this?
Other than he is not a hero as some would claim.
As Michael Moore has stated all the allegations of rape are very serious and need to be addressed!!
Also it`s a shame that Assagne can leak stuff out to the general public, yet it happens to him he cries....

 

[Throckmorton]

WTF are you blabbering about??
I am in favor 100% of all party involved in the middle east turning there backs on the middle and east and in a months time see what happens......

As far as Julian assagne where does he play into this?
Other than he is not a hero as some would claim.
As Michael Moore has stated all the allegations of rape are very serious and need to be addressed!!
Also it`s a shame that Assagne can leak stuff out to the general public, yet it happens to him he cries....

Assange, along with the leftists and libertarians drinking his Kool Aid, want to end the war by any means necessary, and without regard for the consequences. IE, turning our back on the Middle East and seeing what happens.

You know isolationism was fashionable during WWII also right?

 

[EagleKeeper]

I can't blame anyone who is fighting against israel.
After all, it's a colony of invasors.

No problem with Israel then fighting back?

 

[Lemon law]

In terms of the Jews being the entity that first attacked Nazi Germany, I would have to judge that 23.5 carat total phony bunk. Nor should any of minimize how quickly Hitler moved to totally persecute the Jews inside Germany as soon as he became Chancellor in 1933. All Jews in teaching positions in German Universities and schools were instantly fired, the list of occupations that Jews could not be employed in was large and almost all inclusive. Many Germans prior to 1933 believed Hitler was just using antisemitism as a political ploy to gain party unity, after 1933 everyone in Germany was disabused of that notion. Even though Hitler did not start really rounding up Jews until WW2 started in earnest, Hitler kept denouncing Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, while promoting his own Aryan racial superiority master race myths.

Nor should we regard Jews in England and the USA as influential groups, as various German bunds formed up in England and the USA. One big German supporter was none other than Charles Limburg while father Conklin of Detroit denounced Jews from his radio pulpit. And in the South, Catholics and Jews occupied that same social strata as blacks.

Nor can we call anything Europe and the US did for the Jews as anything but overall shameless, in the time period before WW2 and during. Sure there were a few shining examples to the contrary, but they were rare as hens teeth.

And here we are 65 years later and we gobble up the same racial inferiority myths against Palestinians.

We sure have come a long way baby.

 

[Karl Agathon]

After looking at many of the Jew hate (oh im sorry, the intellectuals now call it anti-zionism now right?) comments on this forum, I think some of these folks would actually get off if they could watch every Jew in Israel being slaughtered. Oh those pesky Jewish people, how dare they have the gaul to defend themselves.

 

[SamurAchzar]

I can't blame anyone who is fighting against israel.
After all, it's a colony of invasors.

I don't have a problem with that either, just let the Palestinians own up to their actions instead of whining to the world and the UN, while leeching the world dry of aid money (largest recipients of aid per capita worldwide, if I'm not mistaken) and holding the narrative of eternal refugees (longer than any other "nation", if they can be called that).

I have absolutely no problem with them attacking Israel as long as Israel is free to retaliate and contain them as it sees fit. Do you agree with that, or do you think Israel should take it in the face without responding?