Israel Reports Iranian Made Rocket Hit

By MATTI FRIEDMAN – 21 hours ago
JERUSALEM (AP) — 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.
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.

This is important because Bush is accusing Iran of making violence.

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