IAF Chief Says Hizbullah, Hamas & Iran Are Not Stupid

Source: almanar.com.lb, 13-05-2009

"Israeli" Air Force Commander Ido Nehoshtan said Wednesday that the IAF and the army in general were struggling to protect settlers living under the daily threat of Qassam and Katyusha rocket attacks.

Speaking at the annual national security convention hosted by the Fisher Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, Nehoshtan said the rockets used against the occupied territories had evolved over the past decade, and that improvements included range, launchers, and the evasive quality of the fighters who fire them.

"The merits of the Qassam are many," Nehoshtan said. "It passes through the planes' defenses and reaches long ranges. It is non-specific and gives off no signals that can be identified ahead of time."
He added, "The trickling of this weapon from armies to organizations is also a threat. As a (so-called) terrorist weapon working against 'civilians' (occupation-settlers) from within a civilian population it is very effective."

However the IAF commander stressed that the army was still capable of providing adequate security in the future. "Next year we will begin to see the effects of Iron Dome," he said, referring to "Israel's" new rocket defense system.

"The people we are facing are not stupid," Nehoshtan said regarding the resistance fighters responsible for rocket fire. "Hizbullah, Hamas, and Iran all have sharp-witted people who know about weapons."