Israel Reports Iranian-Made Rocket Hit

[Scurrilous]

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"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."

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