Al-Aqsa: Rockets on Tel Aviv in 48 hours
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades commander promises quick, painful response following killing of two group members by Border Guard in Bethlehem; 'upcoming attacks on Tel Aviv, using Grad rockets and other methods, will be beginning of our wave of retaliation,' he says
Abu Udai, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades commander, told Ynet on Sunday that his group "will fire a barrage of Grad rockets at Tel Aviv within 48 hours."
The comments were made following the assassination of two al-Aqsa terror suspects in Bethlehem earlier Sunday by a special Border Guard unit. Al-Aqsa, Fatah's military wing, said the assassination would not go unanswered.
"The coming hours will show the seriousness of the group's intention and the start of preparations to attack Tel Aviv with a Grad missile from the West Bank," said Abu Udai, who lives in Bethlehem. "We tell the occupiers, our response will be crushing and the Israelis will regret their crimes."
After the assassination, Abu Udai told Ynet that one of the killed Palestinians, 27-year-old Ahmad Musleh, was among the group's heroes, but that he was not a senior member as Israel was trying to describe him.
"Israel is glorifying the brave shahid's (martyr's) status in a bid to justify its crime. Musleh's blood will not be in vain and we will continue to pursue the enemy wherever it is," he said.
Abu Udai added that the Bethlehem operation proves that there is no peace partner on the Israeli side and that all the talks about reaching a dialogue with the Israelis are futile.
"The resistance must be the Palestinian people's only opposition in the face of the occupation and its crimes," he said.
'We are committed to continue the resistance'
Following recent targeted killings of al-Aqsa members, the organization threatened to launch unusual retaliation acts against Israel, which were usually not implemented and remained in the form of a threat.
"The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are committed to continue the resistance. The upcoming attacks on Tel Aviv – using rockets and other methods – will be the beginning of our wave of retaliation," Abu Udai said.
Earlier Sunday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz confirmed during the cabinet meeting that last Friday Palestinian terrorists again attempted to fire a Grad rocket from the Gaza Strip to Israel, as was the case on Election Day.
The Palestinian announced the attempted Grad attack on Friday, but the defense establishment only reported the incident Sunday. The launching of the rocket failed due to technical reasons.
The Grad rocket launching system has several of barrels, and requires a team of five people to prepare it for operation within a number of minutes. The system is capable of firing 40 rockets within 20 seconds. The Grad's fire range is about 30 kilometers (18.63 miles).