03 May 2010

So hows about that oil rig? Have they figured out what an improvised sea mine can do yet?


Security source said, on Monday 02/01/2010 night, that the explosives which drifted ontoIsrael's southern shoreline, and were later claimed by PALESTINIAN Islamic Jihad groups, indicated their growing motivation to launch terror attacks against Israeli targets.

Early Monday evening, an explosive device was discovered floating just off Hofit beach inAshkelon. Several hours later, a second device was found on Kshatot beach in Ashdod. According to the police, both explosive devices – weighing several dozen pounds each – were found hidden in barrels. They were similar in makeup and originated from Gaza Strip.

The sources doubted the Palestinian groups' supposed intention to target strategic Israeli facilities at sea, but said that nevertheless, such a threat was seriously considered.

The failed attack, said a defense establishment source, followed the scheme of sending out several sea-mines, which are designed to float until a collision with a vessel triggers them. "Gaza's terror groups don't really have any actual capability, but given arms smuggling through the Gaza tunnels, they can upgrade the threat," he added.

Earlier, a senior member in one of the PALESTINIAN Islamic Jihad confirmed that the two explosive devices found on beaches in southern Israel were meant to be used in a future terror attack on an oil rig in the south.