The Israel Air Force successfully targeted two terrorists in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, both of whom were linked with a squad intending to carry out a terror attack against Israelis, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Blog. The IDF Blog said that one of the terrorists, Isam Subahi Isamil Batash, was a senior operative in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades who had been involved in “numerous” previous terror attacks.
Included in those attacks was the suicide bombing in Eilat in 2007, which killed three Israeli civilians. The IDF said “a number” of Batash’s attempted attacks have been “thwarted.”
Commenting on the strike that killed Batash, IDF spokesperson Eytan Buchman said on Twitter that the one responsible for the 2007 Eilat bombing was targeted and that “another attack” was “prevented today.” The IDF did not reveal the specific terror attack plan.
IDF spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said in her Twitter feed that the two targeted terrorists were “’busy’ these last few days, planning other terror attacks.” The IDF spokeswoman further said the IDF air attack was a “preventative defensive measure, destined to target terrorists.”
Following the Israeli strike, multiple rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel. Leibovich’s Twitter feed reported that at one point five rockets were launched in an hour.
The simmering conflict between Gaza and Israel has heated up again slightly. In addition to the Israeli air strike on the terrorists on Thursday and the Gaza rocket attacks, in roughly the last 48 hours two terrorist rocket squads were also targeted by Israel.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Blog said the squads were “preparing to launch rockets at IDF soldiers from two different locations” in the Gaza Strip. According to the Blog, “Successful hits were identified, preventing the rocket launches.”
Said the IDF statement, “The IDF will not tolerate attempts to harm the residents of the State of Israel or IDF soldiers, and will continue to take action against those use terror against the State of Israel. The Hamas, a terrorist organization, is solely responsible for any activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.”
(By Staff, www.themideastupdate.com, December 8, 2011)