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MI Chief Amos Yadlin. (Tess Shaflan/JINI)
Last update - 11:59 15/05/2008
MI Chief: Rockets could hit Be'er Sheva within two years
By Barak Ravid, Amos Harel, Fadi Eyadat, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel, rockets 

Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin has told Haaretz that in two years time every community within 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip border could be vulnerable to rocket attacks.

Wednesday's attack on an Ashkelon shopping mall, which wounded about 90 people in various conditions, made the military intelligence chief's recent statement prophetic.

He had told Haaretz that "every community within a 40-kilometer range may come within range of the Hamas rockets: Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, even Be'er Sheva." He spoke in an interview to be published in full Friday in Haaretz Magazine.
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Yadlin also said that Hamas is not interested in peace because it is unwilling to recognize the State of Israel. The group is willing to accept a long-term cease-fire (hudna) only in exchange for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, including Jerusalem, and with refugees returning to their homes.

"As long as those are Hamas' conditions, a hudna appears to be impossible," he said.

On the likelihood of agreeing on a lull (tahadiyeh) in the fighting with Hamas, with Egyptian mediation, Yadlin said that "the tahadiyeh, as agreed between [Egyptian intelligence chief] Omar Suleiman and Hamas perhaps solves the problem of terror from Gaza for the short term. But in the long term, it does not provide an answer to the ongoing smuggling or the Hamas buildup. Separating the issue from the release of [the abducted soldier] Gilad Shalit is also very problematic."

In discussing Israel's strategic situation vis-a-vis Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, Yadlin said Hamas is trying to create deterrence against Israel similar to that of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Part of this effort comes by broadening the range of its missile strikes in Israel.

Yadlin says Hamas has already significant capabilities, and several dozen rockets capable of striking targets in a radius of 20 kilometers, and that the group seeks to extend that range.

"If this matter is not dealt with, Hamas will bring more cities within its range of fire," Yadlin said.

He pointed out that Hamas is preparing its defensive positions in case the IDF invades the Gaza Strip. "Hamas' ground deployment is based on subterranean fortifications, explosive devices and snipers. Hamas has also set up a number of brigade-size units," he said.

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      1.   Rockets could hit Be`er Sheva in 2 years 09:33  |  Dror 15/05/08
      2.   wonderful Israeli LEFT keeps taking "RISKS" for "PEACE" 09:57  |  Moshe 15/05/08
      3.   Israel paying a tremendous price for the "sins of the past"..... 10:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      4.   Israeli labs toying with bioliogical wmd`s 10:21  |  Natallie Durson 15/05/08
      5.   Swiss (Dino) - Syria already has this capability 10:34  |  Reid 15/05/08
      6.   No political solution for Gaza 10:37  |  Ulf 15/05/08
      7.   Think out of the southern box 10:43  |  lily 15/05/08
      8.   Israelis stop being paranoid and stop 10:47  |  lily 15/05/08
      9.   Should be very entertaining 10:51  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/05/08
      10.   Hit Tel Aviv or Beer Sheba? 11:03  |  Stan 15/05/08
      11.   #3 dino the cuckoo clock macher is right 11:04  |  v ictor hardman3 15/05/08
      12.   Linthwaite living in a fantasy world 11:08  |  george 15/05/08
      13.   8*Should be very entertaining how? 11:11  |  Mark Hammond 15/05/08
      14.   How we can react? 11:14  |  Vital 15/05/08
      15.   To Natallie *4 11:17  |  Mark Hammond 15/05/08
      16.   Hamas and rockets 11:52  |  Dik 15/05/08
      17.   Matter of time 11:58  |  Dror 15/05/08
      18.   KEEP Waiting doing nothing see where that gets you 12:07  |  Rose 15/05/08
      19.   # 11 victor hardman 3 (??) 12:36  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      20.   #13 Mark Hammond 12:51  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/05/08
      21.   # 6 ulf 12:54  |  Axel 15/05/08
      22.   so.....? 12:55  |  ravi 15/05/08
      23.   #1`9 the only fantasy dino is a swiss roll 12:56  |  v hardman 15/05/08
      24.   israel does not recognise the state of Palestine !israel,US and 13:02  |  lakshmi 15/05/08
      25.   #6: Hamas cannot be disarmed 13:14  |  Franz 15/05/08
      26.   Rockets could hit Be`er Sheva today if they want 13:15  |  Daniel 15/05/08
      27.   2 YEARS???????????????????????/ 13:19  |  NAJI BENNAJI 15/05/08
      28.   Partial paralysis 14:00  |  Dror 15/05/08
      29.   Today Ashkelon & Sdeort - Tomorrow ??? 14:40  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      30.   #29 Ben Jabo 14:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/05/08
      31.   #3 Swiss Antisemitism 15:05  |  Rosl 15/05/08
      32.   Lies 15:07  |  aaron 15/05/08
      33.   Halt the Qassams launched at the western Negev. 15:42  |  Jean Van Daem 15/05/08
      34.   #30 Linthwaite 15:51  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      35.   #32 Aaron`s Lies 15:56  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      36.   Get Shalit back and then smash them 16:01  |  Dror 15/05/08
      37.   #20 Linthwaite - Certain like Death & Taxes 16:01  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      38.   HAMASS HAS WON - TOO LATE FOR ISRAEL TO ACT 16:13  |  JEWISH doctor 15/05/08
      39.   *20 Chris Linthwaite 16:27  |  Mark Hammond 15/05/08
      40.   Self-Delusions as a Security Policy - The Predictable Results 16:30  |  Tod Zuckerman 15/05/08
      41.   # 31 Rosl, smart people would probably ask first...... 16:39  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      42.   Rockets could hit anywhere 16:44  |  Dr. Joji Cherian 15/05/08
      43.   # 5 Reid (2nd try) 16:48  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      44.   #35 Ben Jabo 16:51  |  Aaron 15/05/08
      45.   Let`s face it. Israel decided on suicide 17:11  |  Meir 15/05/08
      46.   Tod Zuckerman you make valid points but, 17:16  |  Dror 15/05/08
      47.   #44 Aaron 17:20  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      48.   A disheartening admission 17:42  |  Yonatan 15/05/08
      49.   If Israel accepts 1967 borders, there won`t be any rockets 17:59  |  Aounist 15/05/08
      50.   #4Natalie Durson is going to cause a problem 18:03  |  Robert/Montreal 15/05/08
      51.   3yesswiss.Israel is paying a tremendous price for sins of past... 18:03  |  bat yam 15/05/08
      52.   #9 obviously also Chris no peace deal and Idf incursion 18:06  |  Robert/Montreal 15/05/08
      53.   Ben Jabo 18:15  |  Aaron 15/05/08
      54.   #49 Aounist 18:27  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      55.   Onanist 18:55  |  Linichka 15/05/08
      56.   #53 Aaron - Montreal Zahar said no way Yesterday 18:59  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/08
      57.   In two years?? 19:11  |  Elizabeth Weir 15/05/08
      58.   #56 Medical treatment in the decline 19:17  |  Aaron 15/05/08
      59.   peace deal 19:19  |  dr. joji Cherian 15/05/08
      60.   Swiss (Dino) everything you say can be reversed 19:26  |  David Israel 15/05/08
      61.   Rockets Won`t Hit Be`er Sheva Within 2 Years 19:46  |  Bill Foonman 15/05/08
      62.   To #49 Ben Jabo: Israel`s northern neighbrours will continue depl 19:47  |  Aounist 15/05/08
      63.   Israel - ever the victim # 36 20:04  |  Clickfool 15/05/08
      64.   Aounist the naive 20:19  |  Jo 15/05/08
      65.   # 51 bat yam 20:32  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      66.   Another missed "warning shot" from Natallie Durson 20:35  |  Joe Sittizen 15/05/08
      67.   # 60 David Israel 20:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/05/08
      68.   Swiss (Dino) -Saudi initiative has some flaws 21:20  |  David Isarel 15/05/08
      69.   Yadlin and His Assumptions 21:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 15/05/08
      70.   Montrealers are all idiots, Aaron you are a moron 22:28  |  Yaakov Sullivan 15/05/08
      71.   REMEBER VIETNAM TUNNELS THE TROJAN HORSE AND THE GREAT ESCAPE TUN 23:09  |  MOSIACH