The sources said the ATGMs have a range of at least three kilometers.
They identified some of the weapons as the AT-3 Sagger, a wire-guided
missile with a range of three kilometers and long used by the
Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah in Lebanon.
The Israel Army has been placed on alert for Hamas anti-tank attacks
along the Gaza border, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said the army has briefed Israeli
communities along the Gaza border on how to respond to Hamas attacks.
Israel's Channel 2 television has reported that Israelis who live along
the border have been ordered to leave their homes. The television did not
say whether the evacuation, linked to Hamas's new ATGMs, would be permanent.
The sources said Hamas determined in early 2009 that its anti-tank
arsenal was inadequate to stop an Israeli ground force advance. During the
23-day war with Israel, which ended in January 2009, Hamas squads used the
indigenous Yassin anti-tank weapon, said to have a range of 800 meters.
Hamas and its Palestinian militia allies have increased missile, mortar
and rocket strikes on Israel. On Sept. 28, the Israel Air Force destroyed a
Palestinian rocket launcher in northern Gaza. The attack came after
Palestinians fired three Kassam-class, short-range missiles and a mortar
into Israel. There were no reports of injuries.
