Two Explosives Located Off Ashkelon Port

Tuesday February 02, 2010 08:54 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli police reported, Monday evening, that two explosives were located off Ashkelon and Ashdod shorelines. Military engineers rushed to the scene and safely defused the explosives.

The police and explosives experts closed the shores for the day, and removed the people from the area until the shores were clear.

Israeli Ynet News reported that a senior Palestinian source stated that the two explosives were intended to target an oil platform.

The Ynet added that the Israel army believes Palestinian fighters are focusing on strategic facilities in Israel. Israel decided to boost its security presence on all beaches.

The first explosive device was located floating near Hofit Beach, while the second device was found several hours later on Kshatot beach in Ashdod.

The Israeli police stated that the two devices were hidden in barrels and were similar to one another. The police believe that the explosives originated from the Gaza Strip, the Ynet said. Each device weighs nearly 176lbs.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committee, and a Fatah off-shoot group, affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Brigades, are behind the attempted attack, a senior fighter in Gaza stated.

The fighter added that the attack was meant as retaliation to the assassination of Mahmoud al-Madbouh, a senior Hamas fighter who was assassinated recently in Dubai.

israel | palestinian attacks | news report saed at imemc dot org