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Israelis term Hamas' new Kassam-3 rocket a 'breakthrough'

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, October 11, 2002

TEL AVIV Ñ The Islamic opposition Hamas movement has achieved a major technological breakthrough in its deployment of a new short-range rocket.

Israeli intelligence sources said Hamas's development of the Kassam-3 rocket marks a leap in technological capability for the Palestinian insurgency group. The sources said the Kassam-3 comprises a significant improvement in the range and warhead from previous missiles.

Hamas launched a Kassam-3 last week from the Gaza Strip in the first such firing reported, Middle East Newsline reported.. The missile struck a pharmaceutical factory in the Israeli city of Sderot.

"This is a more developed rocket than previous models and they have achieved a breakthrough in both the range and payload," a senior Israeli military source said.

The sources said Israel's intelligence corps still lacks specifications of the Kassam-3. They said the rocket is deemed to have a range of 10 kilometers, nearly double that of the Kassam-2. The sources said the Kassam-2 had a range of between four and six kilometers.

The Kassam-3 has an improved engine and propulsion system that provides a more stable flight, the sources said. The missile has a higher caliber than the Kassam-2. The sources would not elaborate.

The senior military source said the deployment of the Kassam-3 provides Hamas with the capability to quickly develop a rocket with a range that exceeds 10 kilometers. Hamas, the source said, seeks a rocket that can strike Israeli cities from Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"They have the technology to go for a longer range," the source said. "They want to strike Israeli cities."

Last week, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported that Hamas has tried to establish weapons factories in Israeli Arab communities. The newspaper said the effort has been focused in an area south of the northern city of Afula.

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