Extended-range Hamas missiles could reach additional Israeli cities
JERUSALEM — Hamas continues to extend the range of its
surface-to-surface missiles, increasing the scale of its threat to Israel.
The Israeli intelligence community reported that the Hamas regime
has acquired the capability to fire missiles with a range of 30 kilometers.
The assessment warned that Hamas could strike such Israeli cities as Kiryat
Gat in the east and the outskirts of Ashdod to the north.
"Hamas has these missiles and the expertise to produce them in Gaza," an
official said.
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On July 22, Israel Security Agency director Yuval Diskin said Hamas has
acquired missiles with a range of beyond 25 kilometers. Diskin told the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the unidentified missiles
could strike most communities in southeastern Israel.
"Hamas today has missiles which can reach Kiryat Gat, and maybe even
Ashdod," Diskin said.
Hamas was said to have developed a Kassam-class, short-range missile
that could fly around 17 kilometers. Officials said Hamas has also acquired
122 mm Katyusha rockets with a range of more than 20 kilometers.
In his briefing, Diskin said Hamas was using the current ceasefire to
rearm and enhance its military capability. He said weapons smuggling from
neighboring Egypt has increased over the last six weeks, and Hamas has
planted mines near the border of the Gaza Strip with Israel.
"The truce is enabling Hamas to get stronger," Diskin said. "They have
not abandoned their long-term plans."