Israeli attack on arms convoy reported -Patrick Martin
In a surprise attack, with overtones of Hollywood, Israeli fighter jets reportedly hit a convoy of Iranian weapons bound for Hamas in Gaza as the trucks made their way across the desert toward the Egyptian border. The assault killed several people, destroyed all 17 vehicles, and clearly was intended as a message to Iran, whose nuclear program Israel has threatened to destroy.
It is believed the arms convoy was headed across Egypt to Sinai and, from there, to the tunnels that serve Gaza.
Former Israeli Air Force commander Avihu Bin Nun described to Israel's Army Radio the enormous difficulty in carrying out such an operation:
"The planes had to pass over areas that have defenses against missiles and against other air forces; this had to be done at night, the target had to be hit precisely and not something else. This is quite an operation. And you also don't have years to prepare for this kind of operation."
(Globe and Mail-Canada)
Sudan Strike Targeted Weapons Capable of Hitting Tel Aviv
-Amos Harel, Barak Ravid & Yoav Stern
Alluding to foreign media reports of an Israel Air Force strike in Sudan in January, Prime Minister Olmert said, "We operate everywhere we can hit terrorist infrastructure - in nearby places, in places further away, anywhere we can strike them in a way that increases deterrence."
Israeli officials declined to confirm or deny Israel's involvement in the air strike in Sudan.
Any Israeli decision to attack such a distant target would likely have been based on the belief that Iran could deliver arms into Gaza, possibly including 70-km.-range Fajr rockets which could strike Tel Aviv.
(Ha'aretz)
U.S. Officials Confirm Israel Struck in Sudan
-Michael R. Gordon & Jeffrey Gettleman
American officials said Israeli planes bombed a convoy of trucks in Sudan in January believed to be carrying arms to Gaza during the weeks it was fighting a war with Hamas there.
Two American officials who are privy to classified intelligence assessments said Iran had been involved in the effort to smuggle weapons to Gaza and that an operative with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had gone to Sudan to coordinate the effort. One American military official said the strike was one of a series of Israeli attacks against arms shipments bound for Gaza.
(New York Times)
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In a surprise attack, with overtones of Hollywood, Israeli fighter jets reportedly hit a convoy of Iranian weapons bound for Hamas in Gaza as the trucks made their way across the desert toward the Egyptian border. The assault killed several people, destroyed all 17 vehicles, and clearly was intended as a message to Iran, whose nuclear program Israel has threatened to destroy.
It is believed the arms convoy was headed across Egypt to Sinai and, from there, to the tunnels that serve Gaza.
Former Israeli Air Force commander Avihu Bin Nun described to Israel's Army Radio the enormous difficulty in carrying out such an operation:
"The planes had to pass over areas that have defenses against missiles and against other air forces; this had to be done at night, the target had to be hit precisely and not something else. This is quite an operation. And you also don't have years to prepare for this kind of operation."
(Globe and Mail-Canada)
Sudan Strike Targeted Weapons Capable of Hitting Tel Aviv
-Amos Harel, Barak Ravid & Yoav Stern
Alluding to foreign media reports of an Israel Air Force strike in Sudan in January, Prime Minister Olmert said, "We operate everywhere we can hit terrorist infrastructure - in nearby places, in places further away, anywhere we can strike them in a way that increases deterrence."
Israeli officials declined to confirm or deny Israel's involvement in the air strike in Sudan.
Any Israeli decision to attack such a distant target would likely have been based on the belief that Iran could deliver arms into Gaza, possibly including 70-km.-range Fajr rockets which could strike Tel Aviv.
(Ha'aretz)
U.S. Officials Confirm Israel Struck in Sudan
-Michael R. Gordon & Jeffrey Gettleman
American officials said Israeli planes bombed a convoy of trucks in Sudan in January believed to be carrying arms to Gaza during the weeks it was fighting a war with Hamas there.
Two American officials who are privy to classified intelligence assessments said Iran had been involved in the effort to smuggle weapons to Gaza and that an operative with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had gone to Sudan to coordinate the effort. One American military official said the strike was one of a series of Israeli attacks against arms shipments bound for Gaza.
(New York Times)
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