The Israeli occupation forces are setting up a battalion for launching rockets into populated areas

The Israeli occupation forces are setting up a battalion for launching rockets into populated areas. The battalion, part of the Artillery Corps, will carry out missions that so far only the Israel Air Force could execute, Israeli military sources told Haaretz daily.

Two weeks ago the ground forces approved in principle an Artillery Corps plan for setting up the Israeli occupation forces’ first short-range rocket battalion next year. The battalion will first fire rockets with a range of 30 to 40 kilometers and will proceed to long-range rockets in the coming years, Haaretz cited military sources as saying.
The plan is expected to alter the Israeli military’s modus operandi. At present, striking a “terror organization's headquarters”, for example, requires the air force to drop a bomb weighing between hundreds of kilograms to a ton on it. The new rocket, designed to carry a 20-kilogram warhead, will be launched by artillery officers.

The rocket, made by Israel Military Industries, is estimated to cost between NIS 100,000 and NIS 200,000. With a precision of up to 10 meters of its target, it is seen as highly accurate, Haaretz report said.

"With this device, which is a sort of mini-bomb, we can control the extent of the damage," a senior artillery officer said.

"Today we are totally dependent on the air force, as we were in Operation Cast Lead [in Gaza, in December 2008] and the Second Lebanon War. We want the ground forces to be autonomous in exercising fire," he said.

Air force officers voiced reservations in discussions about the long-range rockets, saying their use would overlap some of the air force's missions.