JERUSALEM - Anti-aircraft shoulder-held Strela missiles may have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said during Sunday’s government session.
The Strela missile has a range of more than three kilometers (close to 2 miles) and homes in on aircraft through a heat sensor.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has already warned about a similar threat last December.
The past week saw an increase in the number of mortar shells fired at Gaza Strip settlements, Mofaz noted, and added that one Qassam rocket was fired on Israeli territory.
“Despite Palestinian efforts to uncover (weapons smuggling) tunnels…Palestinian military intelligence was involved in a smuggling operation. There are fears that Strela missiles were smuggled in,” he said.
‘Support for terror down’
Israel expects the Palestinian Authority to recover the weapons, the minister said, and added that he views the smuggling of anti-aircraft missiles as the “crossing of a red line.”
Regarding the contentious Philadelphi Route on the Gaza-Egypt border, Mofaz said recent talks with Cairo have not yet bridged all the gaps between the two sides.
“Once the gaps are bridged, it will lead to the signing of a military agreement, without amending the peace process,” he said in reference to the expected deployment of
Egyptian troops along the border.
Mofaz also noted that public support for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is on the rise, while support for terrorists is declining.
However, despite the progress, more needs to be done, the minister said.
“There is still a gap between intentions and declarations, and what is happening on the ground,” Mofaz said
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