Crossfire War – RAPID FIRE NEWS=TEHRAN – EL ARISH – BEIRUT WATCH – West Asia – North – Northeast Africa Theatre: Tehran – Riyadh – Tripoli – Khartoum – Cairo – Amman – Baghdad – Damascus – Beirut – Ramallah – Gaza – El Arish/Jerusalem – Paris – Rome – London – Washington; Suicide Bomb Attack in Dimona – Negev – Israel Kills Palestinian Militants in Gaza – West Bank – Hezbollah Warns Israel Over Lebanon Border Incident
Night Watch: DIMONA – It appears some of the fears concerning Hamas now in control of the Egypt-Gaza border are now being realized with the suicide attack in Dimona in the Negev region of Israel. It was known hundreds of Palestinian militants used the breach in the Rafah Terminal to enter Sinai and from there perhaps infiltrate into Israel with the assistance of Bedouin tribes. The Israel/Sinai border is 125 miles and extremely porous. Yesterday the head of Israel’s Shin Bet (State Security) stated there were 30 openings in the border that could be used to enter Israel and that Islamic militants were known to be active in 20 of them. Today the Jerusalem Post reported there was a suicide attack in Dimona that killed one woman and wounded thirty-eight. Two bombers were involved but only one was able to explode his bomb vest while the other was killed before he could do so. [JPOST]
Negev – Debka suspects the two, members of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, crossed the Sinai/Israel border assisted by Bedouin guides and arrived in Dimona on foot. Dimona is just 30 miles from the border and near Israel’s nuclear reactor. Southern Israel has been on high alert for the past ten days ever since Hamas forced open the Rafah Terminal with explosions and has controlled the traffic ever since, including increasing the weapons trafficking that before now was limited to tunnels. Israel security units are searching the entire region for more infiltrators. [DEBKA]
Beit Lahiya – In a horrific parallel residents of Gaza celebrated the suicide attack by handing out candies to children. INN reports the celebration was cut short when the Israel Air Force (IAF) conducted a successful air strike on a car carrying the head of the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, Amr Durmush in Beit Lahiya. He was a member of Gaza’s Durmush clan and connected to al-Qaeda (Iran). [INN]
Jenin – On another front Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in action near Jenin, West Bank, killed two members of Islamic Jihad and wounded a third. This action took place near the village of Kabatiya. Ten Islamic militants, suspected of planning terror attacks were arrested in the West Bank cities of: Nablus, Kalkilya, Ramallah and Bethlehem. [JPOST]
Rafah – The Jerusalem Post is reporting gunfire has erupted on the Gaza-Egypt border at the Rafah Terminal. It seems to have started when Egyptian police closed the border trapping Palestinians on the Egyptian side waiting to return. Hamas guards encouraged people to throw stones and Egyptian police responded by firing into the air and it seems Palestinians returned fire. There is supposed to be cooperation between Egypt and Hamas on controlling the border but Tehran may want to keep tensions and disturbances constant in order to maintain the atmosphere of anarchy and chaos as a cover for increased weapons trafficking and movement of infiltrators. [JPOST]
Ghajar – Haaretz is reporting Hezbollah is warning of retaliation for the shooting incident yesterday at the Israel border town of Ghajar in which a Lebanese man was killed and another wounded. Ghajar is in an extremely sensitive area because the borders of Israel/Syria/Lebanon converge there. Hezbollah official Haj Hassan stated, “This matter definitely will not pass away that the people will remain silent. It is the right of the resistance to respond one day by any means.” I actually believe his enthusiastic response indicates Hezbollah-Tehran planned it, this apparent drug smuggling, knowing Israel will fire creating an incident Hezbollah can use to enlarge the war and just after Palestinian militants can now use the Sinai/Israel border for infiltration. [HAARETZ]
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