World Tribune.com

Hamas blamed for first successful Kassam rocket hit inside Israel

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, September 16, 2002

TEL AVIV Ñ Hamas is believed to have deployed its new Kassam-3 short-range rocket.

Israeli military sources said Hamas first used the Kassam-3 in attacks on communities in southwestern Israel last week. The Kassam-3 is said to have a range of up to 12 kilometers.

One of the Kassam-3 rockets slammed into a home in Kibbutz Saad. It was the first time a Kassam-class rocket struck a target inside Israel.

The attack culminated an intensive Hamas effort to complete development of the Kassam-3. The rocket is meant to strike Israeli cities near the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Kassam-1 and Kassam-2 rockets were regarded as insufficient to strike Israeli targets. The Kassam-1 has a range of 4.5 kilometers and the Kassam-2 is said to have a range of up to eight kilometers.

Israeli military sources said the military has recovered and examined the Kassam-3. The sources said the Kassam-3 has a range of between eight and 10 kilometers.

The Kassam-3 rocket also has a caliber of 170 mm. The Kassam-2 has a caliber of 110 mm.

The sources said the Kassam-3 is said to be largely inaccurate. But they said the longer range could place such cities as Ashkelon within the sight of Palestinian gunners in the northern Gaza Strip.

Print this Article Print this Article Email this article Email this article Subscribe to this Feature Free Headline Alerts
Google
Search Worldwide Web Search WorldTribune.com Search WorldTrib Archives

See current edition of Geostrategy-Direct.com

Return to World Tribune.com Front Cover