Islamic Jihad vows to increase range of rocket attacks
Terror group says it will extend rocket range; More than 15 rockets fired into Israel; Erez-border crossing damaged; 2 Islamic Jihad members killed in IAF strike, Palestinian report says.
Hours after Palestinian sources reported that the IAF killed to Islamic Jihad operatives in the Gaza Strip, the terrorist group vowed to extend the range of their rocket capabilities, sending projectiles deeper into Israeli territory, Israel Radio reported Thursday.
According to Islamic Jihad, a small terrorist group with roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, it would triple the number of Israelis affected by rocket attacks.
Hamas had better get these terrorist groups and sub-groups under control. At some point, Israel will have to consider these rocket attacks as overt acts of war and embark on a land war against Gaza that will make Cast Lead look like an exercise. If the territory affected by rocket fire extends past the Eshkol and neighbouring councils into areas north of Ashqelon, the government will be unable to hold back the IDF; calls for decisive action will mount and come from a cross-section of Israeli society. In two earlier posts (here and here) I discuss the poor decision making by Hamas and the misperception by radical Muslims of Israeli society. Hamas is on the verge of making a huge, devastating mistake; it cannot allow Islamic Jihad to act as proxies and claim that since they have no control over them, Israel should not respond by attacking Hamas. There comes a point where the government of a territory is responsible for the actions of its citizens; certainly for cross-border acts of war. Israel cannot be expected to “surgically” attack only PRC cells and Islamic Jihad leadership while holding Hamas harmless and respecting the territorial integrity of Gaza.