Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has detailed an air reconnaissance unit that approves strikes in urban areas.

The Israel Air Force has provided a glimpse of the Flying Camel Squadron, an air group that oversees and approves targets in urban areas, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

The squadron is said to have played a major role in confirming the presence of civilians and the value of Hamas and other targets.

“Our job is to make sure that the bombs hit the right targets and only the right targets,” the squadron commander, identified only as Lt. Col. Y., said.

The squadron, which participated in all of Israel’s wars, contains two types of reconnaissance aircraft. They were identified as the G-36 Bonanza and the King Air 350, the latter which has been sold to Iraq.

“We don’t have bombs on our planes,” Y. said. “We have cameras that do intelligence work.”

Officers said the squadron relays intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to both air and ground forces. They said the payload on squadron aircraft were made in Israel and deemed among the most advanced ISR systems in the world.

“We have the capability to work together with air and ground forces to counter terrorism and minimize casualties to innocent civilians,” Y. said.

“We use our capabilities to guide our soldiers to the right targets.”

During the latest war with Hamas, the air force squadron was assigned to determine the feasibility of air strikes on Palestinian rocket launchers, mostly located in urban areas. Officers said the squadron spotted Hamas rocket fire from hospitals, mosques, schools and outside homes.

“A lot of Hamas infrastructure is underground,” Y. said. “They fire from pits and tunnels. We know this because after we’d hit the coordinate, we would see the underground infrastructure.”

Officers acknowledged that the price for Israeli restraint has been constant Palestinian mortar and rocket fire on Israeli communities. On Aug. 25, Israel’s Channel 10 television reported that the community of Nahal Oz, located along the Gaza border, has been under mortar fire for 49 days because the Israeli military was ordered not to attack the launchers, located next to a school that contains displaced Gazans.

Y. said the squadron often recommended the suspension of air strikes on Hamas and Palestinian militia targets. He said the squadron was ordered to be certain that civilians were not in the area of the Israeli target.

“Sometimes it’s very frustrating because you actually see rockets being launched from mosques, schoolyards — from places you can’t attack,” Y. said. “If the situation is unclear, the attack will be aborted. Maybe we would return to strike the target at a different time, or maybe not hit the site at all.”

  G-36 Bonanza, Gaza Strip, IDF, Israel’s ‘Flying Camel Squadron’ confirmed, King Air 350, tracked bomb targets