Breaking: Haifa Hit - The Definition of Escalation
* Updated and bumped *
UPDATE 11 (15:35 EST) Now they're saying the missile was an Iranian Fajr-7 missile. The Moderate Voice had listed those kinds of missiles in an inventory of Hezbollah munitions not more than an hour ago.
UPDATE 10 (15:20 EST): BBC reports that the rockets landed in Stella Marris, a Christian (technically right - we think they mean Carmelite though...) area of Haifa.
UPDATE 9 (15:00 EST): Missile size definitely revised down to 122mm.
UPDATE 8 (14:45 EST): The size of the missiles is being estimated downward by Israeli sources... could've been Katyushas after all
UPDATE 7: We missed this announcement from this morning:
And what about the threat of long-range rockets, which are threatening population centers inside Israel? "Even if they have thousands, we have at least 10 times more," the officer clarified. "If they attack Haifa and Hadera, it will constitute a reason to severely damage Lebanese infrastructures, including Hizbullah's 20-story buildings inside Beirut."
There are entire neighborhoods in Beirut that are literally office buildings and logistical bases for Hezbollah. You'll know when the IAF knocks them down, because it will be reported with headlines like "Israeli air force bombs Beirut neighborhoods" by mainstream news sources.
UPDATE 6: And now this: these missiles were NOT Katyushas. They were far bigger, and Israeli sources are speculating (still just spectulating) that it was a version of Iran's Raad-1 missile. It seems to have been loaded with explosive power equal to 100KG of explosives.
UPDATE 5: Israeli news reporting that a third missile has hit Haifa.
UPDATE 4: Israeli news is passing on statements from Nasrallah's #2 guy saying that Hezbollah didn't fire the missiles at Israel. Now they'll probably try to blame it on some rogue terrorist or something. We don't know what he's so worried about - as long as everyone keeps thinking that Haifa is just a small port in the north, it shouldn't be a problem...
UPDATE 3: Oh for crying out loud! This is CNN's lede on the missiles that hit Haifa:
Two rockets struck the northern Israeli port of Haifa Thursday... The missiles were fired from inside Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said, in a sharp escalation of attacks launched by Hezbollah guerrillas. The attack on the city of 280,000 was the first time Hezbollah rockets have hit so deeply into Israeli territory.
And if this lede hadn't been written by either a complete idiot or someone dedicated to minimizing the absolutely earth-shattering scope of this attack, here's how it would have read:
Two rockets struck the northern Israeli city of Haifa Thursday... The missiles were fired from inside Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said, in an unprecedented escalation of attacks launched by Lebanon's Syria-backed Hezbollah milita. The attack on the city of 280,000, Israel's third-largest city and the home to several global technology and manufacturing firms, was the first time Hezbollah rockets have hit so deeply into Israeli territory.
But of course, that's not how it read. Because when people can't find Haifa on a map, it's relatively easy to write stories that will leave them absolutely unprepared to anticipate or appreciate what Israel must now do to respond to this outrage.
UPDATE 2: Missile attack on Haifa is now 100% confirmed.
UPDATE 1: The mayor of Haifa is now on the news, saying that he saw a missile hit the city with his own eyes.
CNN frontpage - CNN / AP report that Hezbollah rockets have landed on Haifa. Also being reported on Walla and... now over Israeli news channels.
UPDATE 11 (15:35 EST) Now they're saying the missile was an Iranian Fajr-7 missile. The Moderate Voice had listed those kinds of missiles in an inventory of Hezbollah munitions not more than an hour ago.
UPDATE 10 (15:20 EST): BBC reports that the rockets landed in Stella Marris, a Christian (technically right - we think they mean Carmelite though...) area of Haifa.
UPDATE 9 (15:00 EST): Missile size definitely revised down to 122mm.
UPDATE 8 (14:45 EST): The size of the missiles is being estimated downward by Israeli sources... could've been Katyushas after all
UPDATE 7: We missed this announcement from this morning:
And what about the threat of long-range rockets, which are threatening population centers inside Israel? "Even if they have thousands, we have at least 10 times more," the officer clarified. "If they attack Haifa and Hadera, it will constitute a reason to severely damage Lebanese infrastructures, including Hizbullah's 20-story buildings inside Beirut."
There are entire neighborhoods in Beirut that are literally office buildings and logistical bases for Hezbollah. You'll know when the IAF knocks them down, because it will be reported with headlines like "Israeli air force bombs Beirut neighborhoods" by mainstream news sources.
UPDATE 6: And now this: these missiles were NOT Katyushas. They were far bigger, and Israeli sources are speculating (still just spectulating) that it was a version of Iran's Raad-1 missile. It seems to have been loaded with explosive power equal to 100KG of explosives.
UPDATE 5: Israeli news reporting that a third missile has hit Haifa.
UPDATE 4: Israeli news is passing on statements from Nasrallah's #2 guy saying that Hezbollah didn't fire the missiles at Israel. Now they'll probably try to blame it on some rogue terrorist or something. We don't know what he's so worried about - as long as everyone keeps thinking that Haifa is just a small port in the north, it shouldn't be a problem...
UPDATE 3: Oh for crying out loud! This is CNN's lede on the missiles that hit Haifa:
Two rockets struck the northern Israeli port of Haifa Thursday... The missiles were fired from inside Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said, in a sharp escalation of attacks launched by Hezbollah guerrillas. The attack on the city of 280,000 was the first time Hezbollah rockets have hit so deeply into Israeli territory.
And if this lede hadn't been written by either a complete idiot or someone dedicated to minimizing the absolutely earth-shattering scope of this attack, here's how it would have read:
Two rockets struck the northern Israeli city of Haifa Thursday... The missiles were fired from inside Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said, in an unprecedented escalation of attacks launched by Lebanon's Syria-backed Hezbollah milita. The attack on the city of 280,000, Israel's third-largest city and the home to several global technology and manufacturing firms, was the first time Hezbollah rockets have hit so deeply into Israeli territory.
But of course, that's not how it read. Because when people can't find Haifa on a map, it's relatively easy to write stories that will leave them absolutely unprepared to anticipate or appreciate what Israel must now do to respond to this outrage.
UPDATE 2: Missile attack on Haifa is now 100% confirmed.
UPDATE 1: The mayor of Haifa is now on the news, saying that he saw a missile hit the city with his own eyes.
CNN frontpage - CNN / AP report that Hezbollah rockets have landed on Haifa. Also being reported on Walla and... now over Israeli news channels.
