Newly-Developed Tactic Behind ‘Iron Dome’ Failure: Hamas Military Wing
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a social media post on Monday that rocket-launching tactic overwhelmed the so-called Iron Dome missile system, leading to the deaths and injuries of numerous Israelis in two days.
“The Qassam Brigades, thanks to God, succeeded in overcoming the so-called Iron Dome by adopting the tactic of firing dozens of missiles in one single burst, he said,” he said, Press TV reported.
“The high intensity of fire and the great destructive ability of the missiles that were introduced by the Qassam [Brigades]… succeeded in causing great losses and destruction to the enemy,” he said.
Israeli aerial assaults on Gaza promoted the most intense fighting between the regime and Gaza-based Palestinian resistance fighters since Tel Aviv’s bloody war on the blockaded enclave in 2014.
In retaliation, the Palestinian resistance fighters fired around 700 rockets from Gaza into the occupied territories, killing four Israeli settlers and injuring at least 80 others over the weekend.
In the course of Israel’s seven-week-long war in 2014, five Israelis had died and 67 others had been wounded.
Israeli media said that the "Iron Dome" intercepted only 240 of the projectiles, adding that some 35 rockets and mortar shells struck populated areas over the course of Saturday and Sunday.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, former head of Israeli military intelligence’s research department, Yaakov Amidror, revealed that the "Iron Dome" missile system failed to intercept all the missiles launched from Gaza due to a number of reasons.
According to him, one of the key problems was that some of the rockets were launched from a very close range, giving the “Iron Dome” next to no time to react and intercept them.
He added that in general the rockets launched from the Gaza Strip are not unique and are “within the capabilities of the Iron Dome.”
Lack of time was not the only reason for the missile system’s failure to intercept some of the projectiles.
According to the Israeli military expert, the peculiarities of the design of the “Iron Dome” make it ignore the missiles aimed at areas deemed empty or uninhabited by the system.
‘Israel changed rules of engagement in Gaza’
This is while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Tel Aviv regime had changed rules of engagement in Gaza in the past few days.
“We have changed the rules of the game, and Hamas understands this very well. With that, it is clear that this is not the end of the campaign, and I therefore gave instructions to prepare for what will come next, and gave directives to leave armored and artillery forces around the Gaza Strip,” he said.
The fresh Israeli aggression killed 27 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others in the attacks. Two pregnant Palestinian women and two infants were among the dead.
The two-day Israeli onslaught also demolished or damaged hundreds of Palestinian homes in Gaza.
The conflict came to a halt on Monday following a ceasefire between the two sides. Tensions erupted on Friday after the killing of four Palestinians, two in an Israeli air raid on Gaza and two during the regime’s live fire at anti-occupation protests.
Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhr said that although the recent flare-up in Gaza had come to an end, the wider conflict would continue.
“The resistance managed to deter” the Israeli military, said Sami Abu Zuhri, according to Israeli Kan public broadcaster.
“Our message is that this round is over, but the conflict will not end until we regain our rights,” he said.
Israelis living close to the Gaza border expressed dismay at the ceasefire.
In Ein Hashlosha, a kibbutz about a mile and a half from Gaza, Meirav Kohan, 46, said she was shocked and disappointed at the truce.
“This is a war of attrition” she said, adding the Tel Aviv regime “is not looking for a long-term solution to bring us peace. There’s no policy. We’re just pawns in a game.”
Israel says its warplanes targeted some 350 sites in the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been under Israeli land, air and sea blockade for over a decade.
