Salafists Take Responsibility for Gaza Rockets
THE JERUSALEM POST: Gaza groups opposed to Hamas admit firing rockets at Israel, while Salafists from Sinai are aiding Hamas's military wing.

Gaza-based Salafist-Jihadists with ties to al-Qaida have claimed responsibility for perpetrating several of the recent rocket attacks against Israel, according to statements published by several jihadist groups in the past days.

The Gaza-based jihadi group Jaish al-Ummah published two statements on jihadist forums on Monday claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against Israel. » | Joanna Paraszczuk | Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Netanyahu: Hamas Responsible for Rockets on Eilat; We Will Retaliate
HAARETZ: PM also blames Lebanese government for violence at border, days after Grad rocket salvo killed Jordanian man in attack from Sinai.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking on Israeli television on August 4, 2010. Photo: Haaretz.com
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Israeli television Wednesday that Hamas was responsible for the deadly rocket fire on Israel's and Jordan's Red Sea ports on Monday, and that Israel would retaliate.

Earlier Wednesday, Egyptian officials also confirmed that the rocket attacks, which had killed a Jordanian taxi driver in Aqaba, had been carried out by the militant Palestinian group operating from Egypt, after days of denials.

"Over recent days we've witnessed three attacks against Israel," Netanyahu said in a special announcement on Israeli television. "An attack from Gaza on Ashkelon, an attack by the Lebanese army on Israel Defense Forces troops carrying out a routine operation, and another attack from the Sinai peninsula at Eilat. I want to make very clear to Hamas and to the Lebanese government that we view them as responsible for the violent provocation against us."

"Don't test our determination to protect our citizens," the prime minister went on to say. >>> News Agencies and Haaretz Service | Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Rockets 'from Egypt' Hit Eilat and Jordan
THE TELEGRAPH: A suspected short-range rocket salvo from the Egyptian Sinai, an area where Islamist militants have operated in the past, have struck Red Sea ports in Israel and Jordan.

Several rockets hit the Israeli holiday resort of Eilat, while four people were injured when further rockets hit the nearby Jordanian port of Aqaba.

There was no word of casualties in Eilat, District Port Commander Moshe Cohen said, adding that his forces were still trying to confirm that five explosions heard in the morning had been caused by shelling.

Mr Cohen told Israel Radio that two of the suspected rockets or mortar bombs appeared to have landed in the sea, while another struck the nearby Jordanian port of Aqaba.

Asked where the salvo was launched, Mr Cohen said: "It's a little early to say, but it is reasonable to assume that it came from the southern area."

He was referring to neighbouring Egypt and the Sinai desert which is known for Islamist militant acitivty. >>> | Monday, August 02, 2010

US Accuses Iran and Syria of Arming Hizbollah with New Rockets and Missiles
THE TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has accused Iran and Syria of arming Hizbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, saying the militia's arsenal undermined stability in the region.



"Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability," he said at a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

"And we're at a point now, where Hizbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world, and this is obviously destabilizing for the whole region and we're watching it very carefully."

Mr Gates did not say if Syria was supplying Hizbollah with Scud missiles as Israel has alleged. Mr Barak voiced serious concern over Syria's support for Hizbollah but did not repeat the allegation that it was providing Scuds to the Lebanese Shia militia. Damascus has vehemently rejected the charge.

Mr Barak said Syria was arming Hezbollah with "weapons systems that can turn or disrupt the very delicate balance in Lebanon", adding "we do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria". >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

US Accuses Iran and Syria of Arming Hizbollah with New Rockets and Missiles
THE TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has accused Iran and Syria of arming Hizbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, saying the militia's arsenal undermined stability in the region.



"Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability," he said at a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

"And we're at a point now, where Hizbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world, and this is obviously destabilizing for the whole region and we're watching it very carefully."

Mr Gates did not say if Syria was supplying Hizbollah with Scud missiles as Israel has alleged. Mr Barak voiced serious concern over Syria's support for Hizbollah but did not repeat the allegation that it was providing Scuds to the Lebanese Shia militia. Damascus has vehemently rejected the charge.

Mr Barak said Syria was arming Hezbollah with "weapons systems that can turn or disrupt the very delicate balance in Lebanon", adding "we do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria". >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Israel Targeted by Gaza Rockets as Ashton Visits
THE TELEGRAPH: Palestinian militants fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip into a kibbutz in southern Israel, killing a Thai worker, while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was on an hours-long visit to the area.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Photo: The Telegraph
The rocket was launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing a Thai agricultural worker, while Baroness Ashton was visiting the Hamas-controlled enclave.

It was the first strike from the territory to cause any fatalities since the end in January 2009 of Israel's Gaza war.

An hour before the attack, the EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton crossed into the Gaza Strip to tour UN facilities and see how the international funding was being used.

At a Gaza news conference after the attack, Baroness Ashton said: "I condemn any kind of violence, we have got to find a peaceful solution to the issues and problems."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his condemnation, saying in a statement: "All such acts of terror and violence against civilians are totally unacceptable and contrary to international law."

An unknown Gaza group, Ansar al-Sunna, claimed responsibility for the attack – launched a day before the international Quartet of Middle East peace mediators was to meet in Moscow to discuss ways to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks. >>> | Thursday, March 18, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: No crisis between US and Israel, says Barack Obama: President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that Israeli plans to build more homes near East Jerusalem were not helpful for the Middle East peace process, but he said the issue had not led to a crisis with one of the United States' closest allies. >>> | Wednesday, January 17, 2010

US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen
THE TELEGRAPH: Islamist militants attacked the heavily-guarded US embassy in Yemen with a car bomb and rockets, killing at least ten people.

The car exploded some distance from the embassy in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, at a checkpoint manned by security personnel, before gunmen in another car started firing.

The attackers wore police uniforms to try to get through the embassy's perimeter security during a morning shift change.

Four civilians and six members of the police died in the attack, a spokesman for the Yemeni security forces said. The six attackers - one wearing an explosives belt, also died. There were no casualties among US diplomatic staff.

Trevor Mason, a British eye-witness who lives in an apartment block close to the US embassy compound, said the attack began around 8.30 am local time.

"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on,'' he said.

"I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the US embassy.

"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions.

"The situation is quiet now but obviously very tense.''

A militant group calling itself the Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Yemen US Embassy Attack Blamed on al-Qaeda: Ten people were killed in a suicide attack on the US embassy in Yemen in a co-ordinated strike bearing the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
New Breed of Taliban Replaces Old Guard: Money and a hatred of foreigners are motivating a new generation of Afghan fighters >>> By Alex Thomson | September 17, 2008

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