The Hamas commander in charge of launching rockets into Israel from the Gaza City area was killed Saturday by Israeli ground fire, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. Smoke billows from buildings in Gaza Saturday as seen from the Israel-Gaza border. Amir Mansi was also the leading Hamas authority on the Grad long-range missile-launching system, the IDF said. The use of Grad rockets has allowed Hamas to reach farther into Israel than in previous attacks. The rockets carry more explosives than the more primitive Qassam rockets typically used by Hamas, and some can travel as far as 25 miles.
-- Posted By Breaking News to Break News at 1/10/2009 11:30:00 PM
