TEL AVIV — Palestinian
insurgents are preparing to launch mortar and rocket attacks against
Jerusalem, Israeli military officials said.
The sources said Palestinian insurgents have smuggled
mortars and launchers into the Palestinian suburbs around Jerusalem. They
said insurgency groups have already obtained an unknown supply of mortars
and launchers for future operations.
On Oct. 16, Israeli troops detained a 50-year-old Palestinian who sought
to smuggle a mortar shell in Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah. The sources said
the mortar shell and an extra firing mechanism were found in the trunk of
the Palestinian's vehicle, which was halted at a military roadblock.
Bir Zeit is located north of Jerusalem and near a knot of Jewish
communities. Military sources said the area has been the target of
insurgency ambushes against Jewish motorists, Middle East Newsline reported.
"The Palestinians have exploited the easing of travel restrictions and
the decrease in roadblocks in some areas," a military source said.
"The mortar was planned to be taken to Jerusalem or the suburbs directly
north of the city," a source said. "We think there might be an arsenal of
mortars or a mortar-production facility near or in the Jerusalem area."
The sources said the mortar was similar to Palestinian rockets fired in
the Gaza Strip. They said the range of the mortar was five kilometers.
On Thursday, Israeli troops arrested a youngster who sought to smuggle a
mortar shell past an army checkpoint outside the northern West Bank city of
Nablus. The army said the youngster later told interrogators that he had
been paid to relay the mortar shell to Palestinian insurgents south of
Nablus.
