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Last update - 17:40 27/03/2008
Defense officials: Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel
By The Associated Press
Tags: rockets 

JERUSALEM - With Iranian backing, Hezbollah guerrillas have dramatically increased their rocket range and now threaten most of Israel, according to senior Israeli defense officials.

The Lebanon-based militant group has acquired new Iranian rockets with a range of around 300 kilometers (185 miles), the officials said. That means the guerrillas can strike anywhere in Israel's heavily populated center and reach as far south as Dimona, where Israel's nuclear reactor is located.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the confidential intelligence assessment to the media.
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When Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006, Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into Israel. The longest-range rockets fired during the war, which Israel said were Iranian-made, hit some 70 kilometers (45 miles) inside Israel.

While Israel's air force managed to take out most of the group's long-range rockets during the first days of the conflict, the military failed throughout the war to halt the short range rocket fire that paralyzed northern Israel and killed 40 Israeli civilians.

After the war, the United Nations dispatched a peacekeeping force meant to distance Hezbollah from the border and prevent the group from rearming.

Israel says that since the war Hezbollah's Iranian and Syrian patrons have steadily provided the group with large amounts of rockets, many of them capable of hitting central Israel. However, it has not provided any of the evidence for its claims.

Hezbollah and UN peacekeeping officials were not immediately available for comment on the latest Israeli claims Thursday.

Hezbollah declined comment Thursday. Yasmina Bouzian, a spokeswoman for the UN peacekeepers, said the international forces had seen no sign or had any report of movement of weapons in south Lebanon. "We have no reports of new weapons," she said.

Iranian officials were not available for comment. Iran has never admitted arming Hezbollah, saying its support for the group is limited to civil and humanitarian aid.

The defense officials did not say how many of the new rockets Hezbollah has obtained. But Israeli officials have said that overall, Hezbollah now has many more rockets in its arsenal than the 14,000 it had before the conflict - likely more than double that number.

In early March, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported Israeli claims that Hezbollah's arsenal includes 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon.

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      1.   What? They can hit us here in Tel Aviv? 12:57  |  Tel Aviv leftist 27/03/08
      2.   STRAIGHT TO JAIL FOR TREASON 13:09  |  DR. N GOLAN 27/03/08
      3.   whats the left wing solution now 13:24  |  Joshua 27/03/08
      4.   leave to europe 13:36  |  totti 27/03/08
      5.   THEY HAVE THAT CAPACITY LONG TIME AGO 13:39  |  indrajaya 27/03/08
      6.   # 1 13:40  |  JJ 27/03/08
      7.   Long Range Missiles over Tel Aviv...oops! 13:43  |  Stephen. 27/03/08
      8.   Next war with Hezbolla will provoke retaliation on Teheran 13:46  |  Ron 27/03/08
      9.   Dear Israelis, here in Switzerland (or Europe...)...... 13:50  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/03/08
      10.   next time 13:53  |  jw 27/03/08
      11.   This speaks volumes of Israeli leadership stupidity 13:55  |  Chaim Gorenstein 27/03/08
      12.   #1,3 RE: moving to Europe! 14:06  |  DR 27/03/08
      13.   Best start taking those Iodine tablets 14:11  |  Paul Wood 27/03/08
      14.   can`t wait for those rockets,to be able to reach the knesset, 14:12  |  chaim 27/03/08
      15.   # 8, SWISS (DINO) 14:16  |  indrajaya 27/03/08
      16.   # 2 joshua 14:16  |  Axel 27/03/08
      17.   Nothing New 14:16  |  Sadiq M 27/03/08
      18.   The UN is Belligerant Party to Conflict 14:17  |  Straight Talk 27/03/08
      19.   Swiss Dino Really welcome? 14:17  |  CM 27/03/08
      20.   Israel rockets can reach all of Lebanon, Palestine, 14:33  |  Dav 27/03/08
      21.   Move to Europe!! Are you MAD!!! 14:34  |  Black Israel 27/03/08
      22.   #8 Dino 14:35  |  HS 27/03/08
      23.   And Israel`s nuclear weapons can reach Beirut and Tehran 14:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 27/03/08
      24.   lies and more lies... 14:44  |  mahdy 27/03/08
      25.   Swiss Can Switzerland can give us our personal freedom? 14:56  |  Aby 27/03/08
      26.   I would bet that Israel has a secret agreement with US to take 14:58  |  r 27/03/08
      27.   it`s you or Iran 15:09  |  Harry Truman 27/03/08
      28.   We better take them seriously... 15:13  |  Joseph Levy 27/03/08
      29.   Indrajaya... 15:20  |  georges 27/03/08
      30.   Hizbullah`s mistake 15:22  |  Abdul Aziz Higazi 27/03/08
      31.   Hizbollah, gains and losses 15:22  |  Issa Zananiri 27/03/08
      32.   Some may say they are a threat to Israel.... 15:25  |  Deborah 27/03/08
      33.   # 14 indrajaya 15:25  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/03/08
      34.   This is another incentive for Israel to accept the 1967 borders 15:25  |  Aounist 27/03/08
      35.   SEE IT YOU FOOLS .... 15:28  |  Carl 27/03/08
      36.   Harry Truman.. Whos got the oil? 15:29  |  Black Israel 27/03/08
      37.   Senseless report. 15:30  |  Vital 27/03/08
      38.   # 18 CM 15:31  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/03/08
      39.   And when they launch them... 15:37  |  Walter 27/03/08
      40.   False Sense of Justification 15:38  |  Shlomo 27/03/08
      41.   Swiss foreign minister in headscarf on Iran visit provokes outcry 15:41  |  Calmy-Rey 27/03/08
      42.   # 21 HS 15:49  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/03/08
      43.   It would be nice to consider sitting around a table 15:50  |  Jacques 27/03/08
      44.   Israel says.... 15:51  |  Clickfool 27/03/08
      45.   60 Years of Glory ..... 15:53  |  YY 27/03/08
      46.   All The while Olmert 7 Barak Sit with their Thumbs Up Their A-s 15:53  |  Kipperraes 27/03/08
      47.   A balance of terror 15:55  |  Matthew 27/03/08
      48.   Don`t start a war before Iron Dome is ready !!! 15:56  |  Fortuna Benmayor 27/03/08
      49.   reach 15:56  |  Shmuelshachor 27/03/08
      50.   Remember, Olmert Promised He Would Not Allow a Buildup ? 15:59  |  Tod Zuckerman 27/03/08
      51.   Israeli PsyOps 16:18  |  Steve 27/03/08
      52.   Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel 16:18  |  Scott L. Havsy 27/03/08
      53.   So why they dont fire them 16:20  |  A mother 27/03/08
      54.   New Rules 16:29  |  Gerg 27/03/08
      55.   Hezbollah and Empowerment 16:29  |  Zev 27/03/08
      56.   The Solution 16:38  |  David K. 27/03/08
      57.   But I thought we won the last war in Lebanon 16:41  |  Beni 27/03/08
      58.   rockets from Lebanon 16:46  |  joseph 27/03/08
      59.   #1: typical Europian jews, Don`t have loyalty 16:50  |  human rights 27/03/08
      60.   Tel Aviv leftist the right thing to do 16:52  |  Sam (UK) 27/03/08
      61.   It`s good for peace 16:56  |  Tim 27/03/08
      62.   WORSE: IDIOTS CAN REACH ANYWARE ! 17:02  |  ralph is back 27/03/08
      63.   FINALE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER 17:04  |  GZLives 27/03/08
      64.   For Abdul Aziz Higazi # 30 17:06  |  Fortuna Benmayor 27/03/08
      65.   Another thing Indrajaya 17:07  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/03/08
      66.   Hezbollah rockets could hit Gaza , but apparently not Israeli 17:10  |  Sal 27/03/08
      67.   good 17:19  |  wh 27/03/08
      68.   War against terrorism. 17:20  |  Jean Van Daem 27/03/08
      69.   Hizbollah can fire rockets at most of Israel, but will they? 17:20  |  Conroy 27/03/08
      70.   rockets to Dimona 17:23  |  yona 27/03/08
      71.   so what will olmert do? 17:23  |  effie 27/03/08