Palestinians in territories celebrate rocket attacks
‘God willing they hit power station next time,’ says West Bank resident after Hizbullah rockets reach Hadera. Local Palestinians in village near Jenin overlooking site of rocket hit express happiness, hail Hizbullah for ‘successful firing’
Our fear, their joy: A number of Palestinian residents of the West Bank received with glee the news that Hizbullah rockets had hit the Israeli city of Hadera some 50 miles south of the Israel-Lebanon border – the terror group's southernmost hit thus far.
A large power station situated in Hadera supplies electricity for West Bank residents as well as to Israelis.
Local West Bank radio stations broadcast interviews with listeners who expressed their happiness and hailed Hizbullah for its “successful firing” towards central Israel. Some of the radio announcers opened their shows saying, “Hizbullah rockets are flying in the Tel Aviv skies.”
The village of Yabed near Jenin overlooks Hadera. Many of its Palestinian residents heard the warning sirens followed by the loud blasts of the rockets. Villagers told Ynet that they hurried to celebrate the rockets that reached deep into Israel's territory.
One of the residents said, “We wished for the rocket to hit the two big smokestacks (Ed.: of the Hadera power station), God willing it will still happen soon.”
For the first time since the beginning of the fighting, Friday night three long-range rockets, which Hizbullah claimed to be Khaiber-1 missiles, were fired into Hadera. The Israeli city, 50 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, is the deepest south the terror group has aimed its rockets thus far.
At 9:15 p.m. Friday, air raid sirens were heard from Haifa to Hadera, and shortly afterwards hundreds of residents reported hearing loud blasts. The Electric Company’s “Orot Rabin” power station is located on the Hadera shore.
Luckily there were no wounded in the attacks, but eight people suffered shock and were evacuated to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in town.
The first time Hizbullah used the Khaiber-1 missiles (also know as Fajr-5 rockets) was last week when it aimed them at Afula. The warhead contains roughly 100 kg (220 lbs) of explosives. The rockets were later also fired at Beit Shean. Fajr-5 missiles have a range of up to 70-75 kilometers (about 45 miles).
