Operation Pillar of Cloud

[BrokenSwitch]

Operation Amud Anan ("Pillar of Cloud" in English) is underway, now that Israel has had it up to here with Hamas.

Timeline of events so far:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/souther...rgets-in-gaza/

It sounds like the air force is softening all the targets, while the infantry is marshaled.

This was written by a friend of mine who lives in Be'er Sheva:
http://unitedwithisrael.org/beershev...r-rocket-fire/

Background information:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...attacked-gaza/

I'm in Jerusalem, where I've been staying since January.

[Pete]

More stuff

IDF pummels Gaza, orders call-up, after rockets encroach on Tel Aviv

http://www.timesofisrael.com/souther...rgets-in-gaza/

"Rockets hit Gush Dan area for first time since 1991 Gulf War; Israel suffers first three fatalities after rocket hits residential building in Kiryat Malachi............."

From the BBC

Egypt PM Hisham Qandil decries Gaza 'disaster'

"Egypt's prime minister has condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as a "disaster" during a short visit to the territory.

Hisham Qandil, who went to a hospital and talked to Hamas political leaders during his three-hour visit, said Israel's "aggression" must stop.

The Israeli military struck at more than 130 targets overnight and militants fired 11 rockets from Gaza........................"

And in America they wonder what's on TV tonight.

Hamas missile launch pad next to mosque

http://kleinonline.wnd.com/2012/11/1...m-fajr-5-site/

"PHOTO: Hamas missile launch pad next to mosque, playground. Civilian factories, gas station also half a block from Fajr-5 firing site...................."

[G]

So Russia and Turkey call Israel's response "disproportionate" (*yawn*). I wonder if their sense of proportion would be better satisfied if Israel randomly rained thousands of rockets onto Palestinian civilians for a few years. Just saying.....

[Box]

I wonder how many rockets Hamas got from our friends in Syria.
...or from our friends in Egypt?
...or president Imajimmyhat in Iran?
...or from the 'protestors' in Libya?

If these damn Jews would just surrender, and march into the sea, all of this violence against Jews would stop.

Silly Jews.

[BrokenSwitch]

Be'er Sheva is being at least partially evacuated, and foreign students near Ashdod are being moved somewhere north.

[mark46th]

I find it interesting that Mahmoud Abbas decided to return to the Gaza when it was attacked. Our president decided to go to Las Vegas while our embassy in Benghazi was under attack...

[Box]

Embassy schmembassy...
...he had campaigning to do.

[SF_BHT]

Originally Posted by Billy L-bach

Embassy schmembassy...
...he had campaigning to do.

Yes and it worked....

[Pete]

Israeli air strikes hit Hamas HQ

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20374282

"............There was another series of strikes in and around the city after 05:00, with several targeting Hamas's cabinet buildings, which correspondents say were likely to have been empty.

Another of the targets was the house of a Hamas leader in Jabaliya, north of Gaza City................"

When I read that I got a chuckle. Remembered when Clinton bombed the Sudan and got the night janitor.

[Pete]

Iron Dome intercepts 2 Fajr-5 missiles aimed at Tel Aviv

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=292277

"The Iron Dome intercepted two Iranian-made Fajr-5 missiles aimed at Tel Aviv on Saturday. The missiles marked the third attack on the heavily populated central city in as many days, after Palestinian terrorists from Gaza fired four missiles toward the financial capital on Thursday and Friday, prompting red alert air raid sirens to sound in the city................"

From deeper in the story....

"In total, Palestinians fired 740 rockets toward the Jewish state since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday, but only around 30 landed in built-up areas. Iron Dome intercepted 230 projectiles in total, maintaining a 90% intercept rate. Only 27 of the rockets, about 4 percent, ultimately landed in urban areas.........."

740 is a bunch of explosive rockets. Wonder how many of the countries bad mouthing Israel's reaction would act if somebody fired 740 rockets into their country?

[CloseDanger]

On the demo at CovertContact.

[Pete]

Sophisticated Hamas Underground Missile Launchers

Interesting video clip

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Ne...0#.UKjF6RipaUd

Shows you a little of what Israel is up against.

[mark46th]

I would think that the Israeli's have the same ballistic tracking capabilities as the U.S. I hope a return shot was enroute shortly thereafter as it appeared to be a stationary launcher...

[Pete]

I think they watched a bunch of them being built - and when things heated up they just started going down their target list.

[BrokenSwitch]

Originally Posted by Pete

Iron Dome intercepts 2 Fajr-5 missiles aimed at Tel Aviv

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=292277

From deeper in the story....

"In total, Palestinians fired 740 rockets toward the Jewish state since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday, but only around 30 landed in built-up areas. Iron Dome intercepted 230 projectiles in total, maintaining a 90% intercept rate. Only 27 of the rockets, about 4 percent, ultimately landed in urban areas.........."

Iron Dome tracks the trajectory of the rockets, and only intercepts the ones flying toward populated areas. In a war where the enemy's rockets are $100/unit and the defense is $10K per unit (or more), it makes more sense. It also makes the system harder to jam when multiple rockets are launched. Thus, the 88-90% success rate despite being significantly lower than the total fired. It doesn't make the sirens any less scary, however.

Friday evening, a rocket set off the sirens here in Jerusalem, though it exploded south of the city in an open area.