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By MATTI FRIEDMAN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 15, 2008; 3:15 PM JERUSALEM -- A rocket fired at Israel by Palestinians earlier this month
was made in Iran, an Israeli lawmaker and security officials said Tuesday.
The origins of the rocket, which hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon on
Jan. 3, offered a further indication of ties between Gaza's militants
and Iran's hard-line Islamic regime. The military would not comment on the rocket's provenance at the time,
but on Tuesday, Isaac Ben-Israel, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert's ruling Kadima party, said the projectile was manufactured by
Iran, Israel's most bitter enemy. Speaking at a press briefing, Ben-Israel, a retired Israeli air force
general, estimated that Gaza militants had several such weapons in their
arsenal, but "not many." Most of their projectiles are short-range
rockets manufactured in Gaza. Israeli security officials confirmed Tuesday that the rocket came from
Iran. They could not immediately say if it was the first Iranian-made
rocket to hit Israel. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to
release an official announcement to the press. Gaza's Hamas rulers are known to have close ties with Iran. Two groups
took responsibility for firing the rocket _ Islamic Jihad, also tied to
Iran, and a smaller faction allied with Hamas. Palestinian rocket barrages have killed 12 Israelis in the past six
years, and have caused widespread hardship for Israelis who live near
Gaza. The rockets have drawn Israeli military operations that have
killed scores of militants and civilians but have failed to put an end
to the fire. President Bush, traveling in the Middle East, reiterated U.S. claims
that Iran supports militants "with training and lethal aid." "Iran's role in fomenting violence has been exposed," Bush said. The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has said the
overall flow of weaponry from Iran into Iraq appears to be down. U.S.
military officials have been saying for months that mainly Shiite Iran
has been supplying roadside bombs to Shiite militias in Iraq, despite
strong denials by Iran.
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