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The
Red Dawn/Color Red (Shachar Adom/Tzeva Adom) early warning system provides approximately 90 seconds warning
of an incoming projectiles. Red
Dawn currently operates in a number of southern Israeli cities, including
Ashkelon and Sderot. The early warning system may also be slated for installation
in central Israel.
Although an early warning system has been installed in certain sectors, the Government of Israel has yet to deploy a functioning missile defense system. However, it should be noted that the C-RAM (manufactured by Raytheon) is fully operational and available for
immediate deployment. Nevertheless, the Israeli MOD has decided not to purchase the system, instead opting for the the Iron Dome, an antirocket missile system under development by RAFAEL and expected to be operational only by 2011. According to sources in the Defense Ministry, the C-RAM system was checked
by its Research & Development Directorate (MAFAT) and found to be
unsuitable for Sderot, as the system could only
protect isolated areas of several hundred square meters.
However, Sean Osborne, Associate Director of NEIN Military Affairs, tells WeaponSurvey that: "C-RAM is deployed at US FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) all over Iraq - not just in the so-called Green Zone. C-RAMs success rate in shooting mortar rounds and other incoming indirect ordnance out of the sky is better than 85% according to data I've received from those who've installed these systems in Iraq. C-RAM counter-fires which miss the incoming target do not simply fall to ground - each 20mm round is fused to self-destruct if contact is not made with the target.
"The IDF Research & Development Directorate (MAFAT) refusal to acquire and deploy the
C-RAM system in defense of Sderot or other Israeli towns is several echelons below unfortunate, and appears to be couched in political considerations which have nothing to do with the suffering of the citizens of Sderot. The non-acquisition is sending a message of abandonment to the women and children of Sderot who are under severe traumatic stress and psychological pressures not unlike that of soldiers in combat."
The C-RAM is a radar-controlled gun adapted from a US Navy original, which can fire 4,500 rounds a minute and destroy incoming mortar bombs before impact. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the Land-based Phalanx Weapon System (LPWS) "is a reconfigured variant of the widely sold Phalanx 20 mm shipborne close-in weapon system [that] combines a 20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun with a Ku-band search-and-track radar featuring closed loop spotting."
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Ashkelon Industrial Center
Ashkelon
Installation of the Red Dawn early warning system began in July 2005.
By April 2006, installation of the system was complete. However, munincipal and defense officials decided against operating Red Dawn throughout the city to avoid panic. As such, Red Dawn currently functions in the southern industrial zone where a number of strategic facilities are located.
Chronology of Major Qassam Attacks Against Ashkelon
In August 2003, Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip fired a Qassam-2
missile at Ashkelon. The missile
impacted near the Carlsberg brewery, narrowly missing the Rotenberg Power Station.
In December 2005, Palestinian terrorists fired
a Qassam missile that impacted
in the city's southern industrial zone, (again) near the Carlsberg brewery.
The missile caused a loud explosion heard across the zone -
located only 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away from the city's residential
area.
Police officials noted that the missile was relatively large, with a radius
of approximately 115 millimeters (about 4.5 inches).
Qassam: 3D Rendering
Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mahatzri noted the "rocket [was] no different
than the rocket that landed in the same area two years ago...But one must
not take what happened here today lightly. The defense establishment must
accept the fact that Ashkelon was and will continue to be a target for
terror organizations."
In March 2006, several Qassam rocket attacks against the Rotenberg Power Station in southern Ashkelon led to restrictions against plant workers walking or eating in groups.
Rotenberg Power Station
The Rotenberg station supplies a quarter of Israel's electricity. Approximately three Qassam rockets have impacted in the area thus far, damaging one building.
In January 2006, media reports indicated that Qassam missiles were capable of achieving a range of 10-40 kilometers (6-25 miles). In February and March, Islamic Jihad terrorists deployed a missile based on the Qassam that succeeded in striking strategic sites in Ashkelon, including an oil terminal, power station, water desalination facility and port.
In June 2006, Hamas fired an extended-range Qassam missile equipped with two engines. The missile was 155 mm in diameter and impacted in a cemetery within a residential area of Ashkelon approximately 12 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
The extended-range Qassam contained an increased explosives payload and standard fuses. An IDF source noted the new Qassams were "much better than even two months ago....The warhead explodes and the blast reaches a wider area. The range is also longer."
In July 2006, Hamas fired a dual-engine Qassam that impacted against the ORT Ronson High School building in central Ashkelon. Hamas claimed the missile was an upgraded Qassam capable of a 15 kilometer range. The Qassam was apparently launched from the northern-most point of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun (between the former Israeli comunities of Nisanit/Dugit) and traversed the longest distance of a projectile ever launched from the Gaza Strip. 2
Central Asheklon: Qassam Impact
Kiryat Gat
Kiryat Gat
In March 2007, General Security Services (GSS) Director Yuval Diskin warned the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the city of Kiryat Gat, 56 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, would most likely come into the range of improved Palestinian Authority rockets being developed in, or smuggled into, Gaza.
Negev
(General Area)
Beersheba
In March 2005, the IDF Homefront Command began preparations to reinforce
roofs in the Negev within missile and
rocket range of the Gaza Strip.
In June 2005, the Knesset approved granting tax benefits to communities near the Gaza Strip, known as "the Gaza envelope." According to the policy, 22 of the 29 communities in the Eshkol Regional Council (north-western Negev) receive these benefits.
In January 2007, the Israeli cabinet approved the "Gaza Envelope" plan to fortify all homes and buildings located within seven kilometers of the border with the Gaza Strip. The cost of the plan will range between NIS 400-900 million, and will give priority to the fortification of schools and educational institutions.
In February 2007, four communities in the Eshkol Regional Council asked to be included among towns surrounding the Gaza Strip that are given tax benefits and building reinforcements to protect against Qassam rocket fire. Existing government policy stipulates that towns within 7 kilometers from the Gaza Strip border are eligible for these benefits. The above-mentioned four communities, Sadeh Nitzan, Ohad, Shohar and Talmei Yosef, are located 7.5 kilometers from the border, just 500 meters away from the designating lines.
In March 2007, the Homefront Command estimated that the tentative cost of protecting Israeli homes located within Palestinian rocket range would reach one billion shekels. The NIS 1 billion would cover protective measures for 7,000 houses in four regions near Gaza, including Sderot. The above-mentioned amount does not include fortification work for the city of Ashkelon (over 100,000 residents).
90% of Gaza Vicinity Plants Unfortified
There are approximately 5,000 Israeli workers in 40 Gaza area factories. However, up to 90% of the factories are unfortified. The majority of large factories have built-in shelters, but lack fortified production lines and are situated far from safety zones.
Yechezkel Brown, head of the Superior Cable Company: "We are a 430,000 square-feet plant...I couldn't fortify us even if I were a billionaire... we have an alarm system and I've fortified the lunch room."
Rony Maninger, Chemada CEO: "We've fortified most of the plant ourselves...We haven't finished yet, but we followed IDF recommendations and prioritized accordingly."
Fortification Plan Approved
In February 2008, the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to reinforce residential units, via the
construction of 9 sq. meter protected spaces, in a range of up to 4.5
kilometers from the fence around the Gaza Strip. This range was established to protect the forward line that is exposed to fire and
given the planned capability of the Iron Dome system, due to be
operational during 2010.
The Cabinet approved a NIS 327 million budget for implementing the first
stage of the plan in Sderot, Nir Am, Gabim, Erez, Ibim, Zikim, Netiv
Ha'asara, Nahal Oz, Kerem Shalom, Kisufim, Mefalsim and Kramiya.
There are approximately 8,000 residential units within 4.5 kilometers of the
fence around the Gaza Strip that currently lack protected spaces and which
were built prior to 1992, when legislation requiring their construction in
all new housing units came into effect.
Sderot
Sderot: Qassam Attack
The southern Israeli city of Sderot is located a kilometer away from the
Gaza Strip. Since 2003, the city has suffered over 900 Qassam
missile attacks. The Red Dawn early warning system operates throughout the city.
Sderot: Qassam Impact
The frequent bombardments have killed four residents and wounded many
others. Nevertheless, the reinforcement of public buildings, including
schools, is still in progress. As such, Sderot school children are taught
in two shifts due to a shortage of protected classrooms.
In June 2006, Ha'aretz reported that almost half the parents and one-third of the children in Sderot suffer from post-traumatic stress.
According to Professor Molly Lahad, director of the Mashabim center of Tel Hai Academic College, "15 percent of the children, ages two and up, are suffering from severe post-traumatic stress syndrome, which expresses itself in real difficulties in functioning."
Dalia Yosef, a community worker in Sderot and the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council noted that, "Children age 5 to 13 go back to bed-wetting and school-age children go back to sleeping with their parents...We see avoidance behavior very great fear of going outdoors freely, and fear of going to school. The smallest noise, even the slamming of a door, makes them jump..."
Sderot: Ducking for cover
Sderot children feel that something terrible is about to happen and many exhibit eating and sleeping disorders, and attention-deficit problems in school. "We see great distress in the children, which shows up in very great dependence on the parents and separation anxiety. Some children have started to stutter."
The study revealed that 18 percent of the children suffer slight to moderate degrees of post-traumatic stress, which includes insomnia, headaches and the inability to concentrate. The study also illustrated that each child suffering from post-traumatic stress has at least one parent who is also afflicted, although not all parents with the condition have children suffering from it. 3
Sderot: Qassam Drill
Israeli
School Children in Hod Hasharon
The
(Emek) Regional Council in the Sharon area of central Israel is comprised
of fifty towns and villages, all of which are in range of Qassam
missiles from the West Bank. Areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority
in the West Bank, including Kalkilya and Tulkarem are visible from the
Israeli cities of Kfar Saba, Hod Hasharon, Bat Hefer and Netanya.
In
September 2005, regional representatives asked the government to install
the Red Dawn early warning system. According to local security head Sharon
Azrieli, a Qassam missile
has already impacted in the Bat Hefer area. 4
-
"Preparing for Increased Rocket Attacks Following Disengagement,"
IsraelNationalNews, July 28, 2005; "Rockets Falling; Israel
Prepares More Towns For Bombardment," IsraelNationalNews,
July 28, 2005; Yaakov Katz, "Israel Spurns C-Ram Rocket Defense," Jerusalem Post, June 4, 2007; "Christopher Booker's Notebook: MoD Beats Very Quiet Retreat From Europe," UK Sunday Telegraph, June 3, 2007; Tim
Ripley and Richard Scott, "UK Deploys Phalanx C-RAM System to Protect Forces in Iraq," Jane's Defense Weekly, May 30, 2007.
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Joel Leyden and Arieh O'Sullivan, "Israel: Missile Attack on Ashkelon
Crossed 'Red Line,'" Jerusalem Post, August 28, 2003; "Preparing
for Increased Rocket Attacks Following Disengagement," IsraelNationalNews,
July 28, 2005; "Rockets Falling; Israel Prepares More Towns For Bombardment,"
IsraelNationalNews, July 28, 2005; "Israel Preparing Ashkelon
for Post-Disengagement Rocket Attacks," IMRA, April 5, 2005;
"Preparing for the Day After: Reinforcing Buildings in the Negev,"
IsraelNationalNews, March 28, 2005; "Qassam
Hits Within Strategic Industrial Ashkelon Area," YnetNews, December
15, 2005; Hillel Fendel, "Ashkelon Power Plant Employees Told Not to Gather in Groups," IsraelNationalNews, March 16, 2006; Yuval Azoulay, "Local Officials Say Work to Provide Protection from Qassams is Too Slow," Ha'aretz, April 9, 2006; "Palestinians Strike Israeli Strategic Sites," Middle East Newsline, March 5, 2006; "Hamas has Significantly Improved its Kassam-Class, Short-Range Missile," Middle East Newsline, July 2, 2006; "Amos Harel, Yuval Azoulay, Avi Issacharoff, Aluf Benn and Mijal Grinberg, "Qassam Rocket Hits School in Center of Ashkelon," Ha'aretz, July 4, 2006; "Kassam Rocket Lands Inside Ashkelon for First Time," Jerusalem Post, July 4, 2006.
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"Israel Preparing Ashkelon for Post-Disengagement Rocket Attacks,"
IMRA, April 5, 2005; "Preparing for the Day After: Reinforcing
Buildings in the Negev," IsraelNationalNews, March 28, 2005;
"DM Mofaz Calls for Expanded 'Buffer Zone' in Northern Gaza," IsraelNationalNews,
September 16, 2005; Smulik Hadad, "Nir Am Kibbutz Receives 11 Shelters, Leaving 80-Family-Strong Community Tough Task to Decide which Families Will Get Them," YnetNews, March 15, 2006; IDF Views Zikim a High-Risk Base," IsraelNationalNews, April 9, 2006; Yuval Azoulay, "Local Officials Say Work to Provide Protection from Qassams is Too Slow," Ha'aretz, April 9, 2006; Amos Harel and Arnon Regular, "Qassam Hit Sports Stadium in South, Causing Damage but no Injuries," Ha'aretz, April 14, 2006; "Kassam Strikes Sabbath Dinner in Kibbutz Dining Hall," IsraelNationalNews, April 15, 2006; Matan Tzouri, "Sense of Forfeiture Near Gaza," YnetNews, April 21, 2006; Gideon Alon and Mijal Grinberg, "Cabinet Approves Plan to Fortify Homes in Area of Gaza Border," Ha'aretz, January 21, 2007; "Protection From Rockets Will Cost One Billion Shekels," IsraelNationalNews, March 29, 2007; Mijal Grinberg, "IDF: Protecting Gaza Envelope from Qassams Will Cost NIS 1B," Ha'aretz, March 29, 2007; Tani Goldstein, "90 Percent of Gaza Vicinity Plants Not Fortified," YnetNews, May 17, 2007; Shmulik Haddad, "Sderot Classrooms Vulnerable to Attacks," YnetNews,
September 9, 2005; Eli Ashkenazi, "Sderot's Children are Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress," Ha'aretz, June 12, 2006; Daniel Ben Simon, "Blessings From Above," Ha'aretz, June 16, 2006; Mijal Grinberg, "Four Towns Want Tax Benefits Given To Those 500m Closer To Gaza," Ha'aretz, February 4, 2007; Nissan Ratzlav-Katz, "GSS Warning: PA's Gaza-Based Rockets Aiming Further North," IsraelNationalNews, March 13, 2007; "Cabinet Communique," Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat, February 24, 2008.
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Raanan Ben-Zur, "Sharon Region Prepares for Rockets," YnetNews,
September 9, 2005.
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