Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations JERUSALEM, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Air Force used a new U.S.-supplied smart bomb in strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.
An Israeli soldier stands on the hood of a military vehicle near the border with the Gaza Strip Dec. 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> The GPS-guided missile, called GBU-39, was developed in recent years by the United States as a small-diameter bomb for low-cost, high-precision and low collateral damage strikes. According to the report, Israel received approval from U.S. Congress to buy 1,000 units in September. Israeli defense officials were quoted as saying on Sunday that the first shipment had arrived earlier this month and was used successfully in penetrating underground Qassam launchers in Gaza during the intensive air strikes of Hamas targets on Saturday. The missile was also used in Sunday's bombing of tunnels in Rafah, added the report. The GBU-39 is said to be one of the most accurate bombs in the world. The 113-kg. bomb has the same penetration capabilities as a normal 900-kg. bomb, though it has only 22.7 kg. of explosives. Its small size -- just 1.75 meters long -- increases the number of bombs an aircraft can carry and the number of targets it can attack in a sortie. The bunker-buster missile is capable of penetrating at least 90cm. of steel-reinforced concrete, tests conducted in the United States have proven. It can be used in adverse weather conditions and has a standoff range of more than 110 km. due to pop-out wings. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/29/content_10576315.htm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
