Palestinian militants fire rocket at Jerusalem for first time
JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian militants fired a rocket aimed at Jerusalem on Friday, setting off air raid sirens throughout the city and opening a new front in three days of fierce fighting between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli campaign has been limited to airstrikes so far. But military officials say they are considering expanding it to a ground campaign.
Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, a military spokeswoman, said the military had called 16,000 reservists to duty on Friday as it geared up for a possible ground offensive.
She said the army had authority to draft an additional 14,000 soldiers. She would not say where the troops were deployed.
As air-raid sirens went off in Jerusalem, witnesses said they saw a stream of smoke in Mevasseret Zion, a Jerusalem suburb.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket landed in an open area near Gush Ezion, a collection of Jewish settlements in the West Bank southeast of the city.
An attack on Israel's self-declared capital marks a major escalation by Gaza militants, both for its symbolism and its distance from the Palestinian territory. Located roughly 75 kilometers (50 miles) away from the Gaza border, Jerusalem had been thought to be beyond the range of Gaza rocket squads.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Hamas militant wing, said the group had fired a long-range rocket at Jerusalem.
"We are sending a short and simple message: There is no security for any Zionist on any single inch of Palestine and we plan more surprises," he said. Hamas officials said the rocket was a homemade "M-75" rocket, a weapon that has never been fired before.
It also marks a bit of a gamble for the militants. Gush Ezion is close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and just a few kilometers (miles) from the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, one of Islam's holiest sites. Jews call the compound the Temple Mount because of the biblical Jewish temples that once stood there.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in Jerusalem and nearby areas of the West Bank.
Militants already have fired rockets into the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv, another unprecedented achievement, on Thursday. The rocket attacks have not hurt anyone in the bustling metropolis, but have caused panic and jitters.
Just a few years ago, Palestinian rockets were limited to crude, homemade devices manufactured in Gaza. But in recent years, Hamas and other armed groups have smuggled in sophisticated, longer-range rockets from Iran and Libya, which has been flush with weapons since Moammar Gadhafi was ousted last year. Most of the rockets do not have guided systems, limiting their accuracy, though Israeli officials believe the militants may have a small number of guided missiles that have not yet been deployed.
The strike occurred on the third day of an Israeli offensive in Gaza meant to halt rocket fire from the crowded seaside strip. Israel began the offensive Wednesday by assassinating Hamas' military chief and striking dozens of rocket launchers. But militants have continued to rain rockets across Israel.
The military spokeswoman said no decision has been made on whether to send ground troops or how long the Israeli offensive will last. Leibovich said all options are open, "including a ground operation."
Along the border Friday, tanks, armored vehicles and military bulldozers were parked in neat rows. Soldiers milled about, while buses filled with soldiers moved in the area.
Hamas militants have vowed to resist the Israeli offensive. They received a boost of solidarity on Friday with a visit by Egypt's prime minister, Hesham Kandil, who called on Israel to end its operation.
In all, 23 Palestinians have been killed, including 11 civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and 250 people wounded. Three Israelis were killed when a rocket hit an apartment building in southern Israel.
The Israeli campaign has been limited to airstrikes so far. But military officials say they are considering expanding it to a ground campaign.
Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, a military spokeswoman, said the military had called 16,000 reservists to duty on Friday as it geared up for a possible ground offensive.
She said the army had authority to draft an additional 14,000 soldiers. She would not say where the troops were deployed.
As air-raid sirens went off in Jerusalem, witnesses said they saw a stream of smoke in Mevasseret Zion, a Jerusalem suburb.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket landed in an open area near Gush Ezion, a collection of Jewish settlements in the West Bank southeast of the city.
An attack on Israel's self-declared capital marks a major escalation by Gaza militants, both for its symbolism and its distance from the Palestinian territory. Located roughly 75 kilometers (50 miles) away from the Gaza border, Jerusalem had been thought to be beyond the range of Gaza rocket squads.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Hamas militant wing, said the group had fired a long-range rocket at Jerusalem.
"We are sending a short and simple message: There is no security for any Zionist on any single inch of Palestine and we plan more surprises," he said. Hamas officials said the rocket was a homemade "M-75" rocket, a weapon that has never been fired before.
It also marks a bit of a gamble for the militants. Gush Ezion is close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and just a few kilometers (miles) from the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, one of Islam's holiest sites. Jews call the compound the Temple Mount because of the biblical Jewish temples that once stood there.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in Jerusalem and nearby areas of the West Bank.
Militants already have fired rockets into the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv, another unprecedented achievement, on Thursday. The rocket attacks have not hurt anyone in the bustling metropolis, but have caused panic and jitters.
Just a few years ago, Palestinian rockets were limited to crude, homemade devices manufactured in Gaza. But in recent years, Hamas and other armed groups have smuggled in sophisticated, longer-range rockets from Iran and Libya, which has been flush with weapons since Moammar Gadhafi was ousted last year. Most of the rockets do not have guided systems, limiting their accuracy, though Israeli officials believe the militants may have a small number of guided missiles that have not yet been deployed.
The strike occurred on the third day of an Israeli offensive in Gaza meant to halt rocket fire from the crowded seaside strip. Israel began the offensive Wednesday by assassinating Hamas' military chief and striking dozens of rocket launchers. But militants have continued to rain rockets across Israel.
The military spokeswoman said no decision has been made on whether to send ground troops or how long the Israeli offensive will last. Leibovich said all options are open, "including a ground operation."
Along the border Friday, tanks, armored vehicles and military bulldozers were parked in neat rows. Soldiers milled about, while buses filled with soldiers moved in the area.
Hamas militants have vowed to resist the Israeli offensive. They received a boost of solidarity on Friday with a visit by Egypt's prime minister, Hesham Kandil, who called on Israel to end its operation.
In all, 23 Palestinians have been killed, including 11 civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and 250 people wounded. Three Israelis were killed when a rocket hit an apartment building in southern Israel.
Scumbag Israelis committing crimes against civilans but in the eyes of the world it is perfectly fine. Iran should do what Russians did in Cuba, park nukes in Gaza and than see what will happen. Better yet Arab world should join forces and come in aid to Palestinians.Â
 @CameToTakeYourJobs Civilians that wholeheartedly support and voted for terrorists to lead them, you forgot that small part. Even though they really have no choice or freedom of dissent/though they bear responsibility for their situation and innocents suffer. You can't negotiate with people who want you obliterated and Russia didn't keep nukes in Cuba if you remember your history.
Funny how few news outlets are even reporting that Iranian specialists are doing Fire Control/Guidance for the Palastinian/Hamas launched rockets. Iran is attacking Israel by proxy.
btw, AP, those are not tanks but APC's converted FROM T-55 tanks.
Religious intolerance, hate and mistrust once again is reaching the boiling point. It's a shame these people wish to plunge the world into darkness. I grow tired of their constant bickering, inability to evolve and refusal to coexist. If it were up to me I would let them fight to the death. Our financial involvement with Israel is counter productive to peace. America must cut funding to Israel, Pakistan and other countries that refuse to accept our terms. These places are destroying our country, dividing our nation and draining our economy. Let them fight to the death! In addition dig a moat around the whole region and refuse to let them out until they can learn to live with each other.
This is no surprise to Christians who read the Bible. It's laid out in prophecy, black and white, that Israel will be surrounded and attacked by all of it's neighbors right before the end of the world as we know it. You better start reading it for yourself and then decide what side of the battle you stand on.
 @Magic 8 Ball That's telling it like it is! Foretold thousands of years ago, Israel's reestablishment in 1948 right to the day as well. I'd encourage everyone to find out about it for themselves, Yeshua (Jesus) is coming soon, the world is too far gone for us to fix it.
@Magic 8 Ball the same thing happened during the Arab Israeli war.
 @Magic 8 Ball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n5E7feJHw0
It still amazes me how this is one of the world's most violent areas despite the religious history.
In other words, Satan's children can't play nice with God's children.
 @Paddy despite? it's "because" !
I really didn't think I'd see the day when Hamas et al would hit the city of Jerusalem with missiles. Â I wish Israel much luck dealing with the terrorist elements in their midst - they won't be getting much help from the current U.S. administration on this, that's for sure.
 @belsnickles Well maybe we'll get lucky and they'll bomb their own mosque on the temple mount. They already regularly trash it every time there's a protect so what would it matter....
 @belsnickles I guess all the wheelbarrow loads of cash, diplomacy and investment in their country means nothing. Okay, whatever...
@belsnickles Isreal doesn't need much support from us. They can stand on their own just fine.
 @DeadRabitz  @belsnickles They know how to take care of business, that's for sure, but it angers me that this powder keg was about to go off and instead of meeting with the prime minister, our president went on Letterman and hung out with his pal, Jay-Z.
 @DeadRabitz  It is you that has not been paying attention.
@belsnickles The whole story is false and misleading. You should feel bad that you bought into it.
@belsnickles on different days. What should he wait around till he gets there? The fact still remains that there was no meeting scheduled therefor there was no meeting to miss.
 @DeadRabitz  @belsnickles But he somehow found the time get to NYC and go on Letterman... he's amazing.
@belsnickles he didn't miss a meeting, they were not able to meet because of schedule conflicts. I didn't realize Obama had to drop everything anytime Isreal needs a pep talk. It's a false statement to say that he missed a meeting since no meeting was ever scheduled.
 @DeadRabitz  @belsnickles No, it's absolutely true.  I can provide you with the links, if you like, but if you Google it you can find it yourself.  CNN video of Wolf Blitzer defending the move as a stratagem for wooing voters while avoiding unpleasantries (a one-on-one with Netanyahu) is one of the first things that you will see come up.
@belsnickles that is absolutely false.
Another group about to find out that they really are no match for Isreal. Why can't they learn from the past. The Israelis are not going away, they will not leave and they will hit harder with one attack than their opposition can with everything they have.