JERUSALEM, July 6, 2006 (AFP) - Israel is mulling the acquisition of a state-of-the-art US laser system that could intercept Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, Maariv newspaper reported Thursday.
Israeli forces thrust deep into Gaza overnight, retaking positions they had evacuated 10 months earlier and effectively carving out a wide buffer zone in the north of the territory to foil rocket attacks.
Maariv said Defence Minister Amir Peretz last week met a delegation from US security firm Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the Skyguard system, formerly known as Nautilus.
The system is a high energy laser that intercepts flying objects and can be used to protect sensitive sites such as airports, oil fields and cities.
Israeli defence officials believe the latest technological upgrades of the Skyguard system could make it suitable to protect southern Israeli towns such as Sderot and Ashkelon from Palestinian rockets.
Late Tuesday, a Qassam rocket -- manufactured by and named after the armed wing of the Palestinian governing movement Hamas -- for the first struck the heart of the coastal city of Ashkelon.
No one was wounded but the type of rocket used was believed to have twin engines and travelled 12 kilometres (7.5 miles), two more than the previous record for the Qassam.
Another rocket exploded in Ashkelon on Wednesday night.
Maariv said that opposition in the defence establishment to the purchase of Skyguard stemmed mainly from its high cost but added that its inclusion in the annual US military aid package was being considered as a possible solution.
http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/23144
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09-07-2006, 12:35
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