After weeks of rocket fire into Israel by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups in Gaza, Israel launched what it calls Operation Protective Edge.
As usual, Hamas and the others fire the rockets from the middle of heavily populated civilian areas (photo), thereby using the civilians as human shields. They also fire rockets indiscriminately at Israeli cities, not even pretending to target military objectives. Its a double war crime — hiding among civilians to target civilians.
Israel will go to great lengths to avoid harming civilians, but has no choice but to attack the rocket launchers and terrorists hiding among civilians. Because Hamas and others use civilian homes to store weapons and fire rockets (just like Hezbollah in Lebanon) Israel sometimes has to target homes — but when it does it does what no other army in the world does, it alerts the residents in advance:
Eyewitnesses on the ground in the Gaza Strip reported that a home in the village of Khan Yunis was destroyed completely after an Israeli intelligence officer phoned the family residing in the home and warned them of an incoming attack, the Hamas interior ministry said.
So expect Israel to be blamed should there be civilians harmed, even though it is those who exploit civilians as shields to fire rockets who are to blame.
Israels Iron Dome defense will play a vital role.
Remember when missile defense was denegrated as “Star Wars” and mockingly referred to as trying to hit a speeding bullet with another bullet?
The system cant knock down all the rockets, but it can make a difference in protecting key civilian populations.
This video shows Iron Dome knocking rockets out of the air over the Israeli city of Ashdod.
UPDATES:
More at Watch: 5 Hamas “naval commandos” infiltrating Israel gunned down by IDF helicopter (Updates)
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