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.
