ROCKETS RAINING ON ISRAEL

1,400 Rockets Have Hit Israel Since Wednesday
Prime Minister Olmert told the Israeli cabinet Sunday that since last Wednesday, 1,400 rockets have landed inside Israel. "1,400 hits means 1,400 attempts to attack citizens of the State of Israel in their homes and places of work with unparalleled and bloodthirsty cruelty and brutality. We see here the gap between us when we act with exemplary caution and respect for the sanctity of life and human dignity - and the brutality that we see on their part." "It must be clear that Israel will not return to the status quo that prevailed before last Wednesday; this situation was intolerable from the outset." Olmert said that the Israel Defense Forces would not stop its current campaign until we can tell the Israeli people that the threat hanging over it has been removed. (Prime Minister's Office)

Rocket Attack near Acre Injures Four - Ahiya RavedA Hizballah rocket hit a house in the Acre area early Monday, landing in a bedroom at 4:30 a.m. The father of the family was hurt by shrapnel. Additional rockets landed north of Nahariya, near Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot, and at Bustan Hagalil. (Ynet News)

See also Hizballah Rockets Strike Afula, Jezreel Valley - Yuval Azoulay, Amos Harel, and Yoav Stern
Rockets landed in the city of Afula, Upper Nazareth, Migdal Ha'emek, and Givat Ela Sunday evening, up to 50 km from the northern border. The army is concerned that Iranian-made Zalzal missiles, whose range is estimated to exceed 200 km, may be used, thus allowing Hizballah to target the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Hizballah still has a significant arsenal "of very many rockets of all kinds," Israel Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shkedy said Sunday. (Ha'aretz)

See also Will Tehran Authorize Hizballah to Rocket Tel Aviv? - Ze'ev Schiff
Will Tehran authorize Hizballah to launch long-range missiles with more powerful warheads? This is a capability Hizballah still retains, despite the heavy blows it has suffered in the IDF air strikes. Air strikes are focusing on Hizballah infrastructure, including rockets, positions, and bunkers in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut. Hizballah has prepared some 600 storage bunkers, a third of which were for the longer range rockets. Israel will also try to target the most senior members of Hizballah, some of whom are hiding in bunkers deep in the Dahiya quarter in southern Beirut. Targets in Dahiya include a subterranean ammunition factory. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinians Fire 20 Rockets at Israel from Gaza - Shmulik Hadad (Ynet News)
Ten Kassam rockets landed Sunday evening in Israel - in Ashkelon near a strategic facility, in Sderot, and elsewhere in the western Negev. Ten more landed Monday morning - three in Kibbutz Nahal Oz and one in the yard of a Sderot house, wounding two people.

See also Monday Afternoon: Rockets Hit Haifa, Tiberias, Safed, Carmiel, Acre (Jerusalem Post)