Israeli jets bomb northern Gaza

Source : Al Akhbar English

The Israeli air force attacked sites in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, just hours after Palestinian fighters there fired a pair of rockets into Occupied Palestine, witnesses and the army said.

It was the first air strike on Gaza in more than two months and took place as the Israeli government pushed forward with plans to release 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of the so-called peace negotiations with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian witnesses said the attack targeted a military site used by fighters from the Hamas movement west of Beit Lahiya, but no-one was hurt.

The Israeli army confirmed the air force had struck Gaza.

"In response to rocket fire at Israel, the IDF (military) targeted 2 rocket launchers in Gaza. Direct hits confirmed," the army said on its official Twitter feed.

An earlier army statement said two rockets were fired towards the port city of Ashkelon, one of which was shot down by Israel's so-called Iron Dome Missile Defense System. No damage or injuries were reported.

It was the first air strike since August 14 when the air force bombed the same area also after Palestinians fired rockets from Gaza, in a development which took place just hours after Israel released a first batch of Palestinian prisoners.

The skies above Gaza have been calm for months, although suspected militants fired a mortar shell on Sunday.

During September, there were two instances of rocket fire, but Israel did not respond.

Late on Sunday, Israel approved the release of 26 veteran prisoners who will be freed on Tuesday.

It will be the second such release of Palestinian prisoners under terms of the US-backed direct peace talks which began in late July after a hiatus of nearly three years.

All but one of them were arrested before the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, with 21 from the West Bank and the rest from Gaza.

(Reuters)

Israel's Iron Dome shoots down rocket fired from Gaza

Source : http://breakingnews.sy/en

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at a southern Israeli port city on Monday, a military spokeswoman said. Iron Dome interceptor shot down one while the other fell into the sea, Reuters reported. The pre- dawn salvo came on Ashkelon, about 12km north of Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launches.

Iran seeks to import S300

Source : Trend.Az

Iran and Russia are negotiating to boost their ties in the fields of Anti-aircraft warfare and radar systems, the Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said on Sunday.

"Iran seeks to import S300 or some similar missile systems which are completely defensive," he said.

He made the remarks after his meeting with the Russia's Air Force Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev.

The Russian Commander is in Tehran for talks with senior Iranian military officials.

Bondarev has also met with Iran's air force commander, Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi.

His four-day visit is aimed at expanding cooperation in the field of military and missile systems.

Russian Commander Admires Iran's Ability to Optimize S- 200 Defense System

Source : Farsnews

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev praised Iran for its ability to optimize the Russian-made S-200 long-range air defense missile system to cover mid- altitude flying targets, Commander of Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli said.

"We briefed the Russian Air Force commander on the changes we have made in the (S-200) system and he admired these capabilities," Esmayeeli told reporters after a meeting with Bondarev in Tehran on Sunday.

"We told him that the system was a long-range system completely made by Russia, but we could add up to its capabilities to cover mid-altitude threats by changing the structure and protocol of the S-200 system and using Sayyad-2 missiles and we also told him that this (new) capability has proved successful on the scene of practical tests,", Esmayeeli added.

Iran announced in August that it has used the latest home-made missile production, Sayyad (Hunter) 2, in its sophisticated S-200 anti-aircraft system.

Speaking to reporters in August, Esmayeeli said that the country had used "Sayyad 2 missiles in its S-200 defense systems", and pointed out that the restructuring of the system was the result of the industrious efforts made by experts at the Iranian defense industries and his base.

In similar remarks in July 2011, Esmayeeli had announced that the country's experts have been able to optimize the Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile system so well that the Iranian version of the system has stunned Russian experts.

In November 2010, Iran successfully test-fired its sophisticated S-200 anti-aircraft missile systems.

Iran's S-200 system is a very long range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to defend large areas from bomber attack or other strategic aircrafts. Each battalion has 6 single-rail missile launchers and fire control radar. It can be linked to other, longer-range radar systems.

Each missile is launched by 4 solid-fueled strap-on rocket boosters. Maximum range is between 200 and 350 km depending on the model. The missile uses radio illumination mid-course correction to fly towards the target with a terminal semi active radar homing phase.