Really great article from GNN
Behold the dreaded Qassam rockets of Hamas
They look like toy model rockets, and apparently they pretty much are, except that they’re packed with explosives.
It occurred to me just tonight that I had no idea what these rockets looked like or how dangerous they are. So I used Google to find this informative page at Aerospaceweb.org.
I present to you some of the text and images:
Most of these rockets are not that much different from large model rockets sold in stores in the west except they are packed with explosives. The weapons are fired randomly into Israeli areas and typically do little damage. Their value lies more in spreading fear and chaos among civilians rather than attacking specific buildings or military targets.
The Katyusha is used by Hezbollah and launched from Lebanon into northern Israel. Qassam rockets are instead used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and fired upon Israeli communities. … Though media reports often refer to these weapons as missiles, they are actually rockets. We have seen in previous articles that the difference between a rocket and a missile is that a missile has a guidance system while a rocket does not. A basic military rocket is a cylindrical tube containing an explosive warhead and powered by some type of propulsion system, typically a solid rocket motor.
The weapons Hezbollah uses most frequently are collectively referred to as Katyusha (pronounced car-too-zuh) rockets. However, the Katyusha was actually one specific type of rocket used during World War II though the term has since become synonoymous with a wide variety of different rocket types.
If you click that link to read the fascinating details, you’ll learn that Israel is being menaced and forced into extreme total-war-style “self-defense” by what are essentially World War II era weapons.
The Quassam rockets used by those pesky Palestinians in Gaza are actually homemade versions of the more advanced ones used by Hezbolah in Lebanon, which are somewhat inaccurately referred to as Katyushas.
While the Katyusha rockets used by Hezbollah are made in Iran, the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip have been building their own homemade rockets since about 2000. These rockets, developed by Nidal Fat’hi Rabah Farahat and Adnan al-Ghoul, are known as the Qassam (or Kassam) and were first used by Hamas terrorists in 2001. Hamas began constructing these weapons because of the strong security barriers surrounding the Gaza Strip that prevented direct raids on Israeli towns. The Qassam rockets are designed to fly over the barrier to strike population centers within Israel. The Qassam rockets are not nearly as advanced as those employed by Hezbollah, however, and both their range and explosive payload are quite limited.
Three different versions of the rocket have been seen so far. The Qassam 1 has a diameter of 60 mm, carries a warhead weighing 1 lb (0.5 kg), and has a maximum range of only 2 miles (3 km). Early attacks using these rockets failed because they landed inside the Gaza Strip itself rather than upon their intended targets. The first Qassam strike to hit an Israeli town occurred on 5 March 2002 when two of the weapons hit Sderot just north of the Gaza Strip. This community has taken the brunt of Qassam attacks given its close proximity to the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun where most Qassam strikes are launched. The first fatalities caused by the rocket also occurred in Sderot on 28 June 2004 when two Israelis were killed.
As noted in this article recently posted on GNN, the Israeli killed by a Palestinian rocket last Saturday was the first such casualty in more than a year. Moreover, as this map shows, most Israelis are quite safe from rocket attacks:
The danger posed by Qassam attacks began to grow as improved versions were developed. The 150-mm Qassam 2 carries a warhead between 11 and 15 pounds (5 to 7 kg) over a distance of about 5 miles (8 km). The most advanced version seen so far is the Qassam 3 with a 170-mm body containing a 22-lb (10-kg) warhead and traveling as much as 6 miles (10 km). The farthest Israeli town attacked by late 2005 has been Ashkelon about 5 miles (8 km) from its launch point. Attacks using the improved Qassam 3 had succeeded in reaching the central part of Ashkelon by July 2006. The Qassam attacks have generally done very little damage and killed or injured just a handful of people since most of the rockets fall harmlessly in open areas.
Holy shit Batman! Talk about living in fear.
Although crude and inaccurate with a small payload and short range, the Qassam rockets have still caused significant concern in Israel because they are so difficult to protect against. Israel has acquired a defense system called Red Dawn that features a radar to detect the rockets at launch and sets off loudspeakers advising people in nearby towns to take cover. The system gives about 20 seconds of warning before the rocket strikes. It has also been reported that Israel will purchase a system from Switzerland called Skyshield to help prevent Qassam strikes. Skyshield is a rapid-fire anti-aircraft defense system designed to shoot down the rockets before they can reach civilian populations.
I guess Patriots don’t work so well for swatting at mosquitos.
The increasing frequency of Qassam attacks has also prompted Israel to launch raids on the Gaza Strip to destroy facilities where the rockets are manufactured and launched. Israeli attacks have included strikes on terrorists, targeted assassinations of those developing the rockets, destruction of metal shops used to build the rockets, and clearing out orchards or farmland where the rockets are often launched. Among those killed in the attacks was Adnan al-Ghoul who was known as “Father of the Qassam.” The Israeli attacks have included Army tanks and soldiers, Air Force aircraft, and Navy vessels firing shells from off the coast.
And now, you can add to that total war involving tanks, Predator drones, one-ton house-smashing bombs and bizarre new weapons that smite infidels nearly as well as Yahweh Himself would.
Ain’t righteousness wonderful?
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pretty good. ultimatly she ends with a soft rock ‘its all gonna be alright’ sort of attitude. She even admits in the middle that once people start to get carted away she will stop what she is doing. But informative and hopefully inspiring to 40 something new agers out there who read web md and are on some sort of perscription drug.
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Frighteningly compelling!
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This shit would be funny if it wasn’t terrifying!