Palestinians upgrade arsenal with smuggled anti-tank, anti-aircraft weapons

TEL AVIV — Israel braced for an escalation in violence following its election as military sources said the Palestinian Authority had received hundreds of rocket-propelled grenades as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.

The sources said the weapons arrived in barrels brought by boat from the Mediterranean Sea. The boat, believed to have come from Egypt, dropped the barrels in the sea off the Gaza coast, where some of them were picked up by Palestinian fishing boats.

Other barrels drifted to shore and were taken to PA installations. The sources said Israeli naval vessels stopped one shipment over the weekend. But the navy failed to stop other shipments.

Last week, Israel seized 50 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 1,000 rockets, and scores of 60 mm mortar rounds, military sources said.

The result is an Israeli assessment that the PA is prepared to face Israeli tanks and even attack helicopters in any confrontation with Israel. Military sources said an escalation of violence could take place immediately after the Israeli elections on Tuesday.

Intense gun battles took place overnight Tuesday between Israeli and Palestinian forces. One Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper near the Egyptian border.