Israel was surprised when Palestinians in Gaza targeted Tel Aviv, 70km away from the foremost Palestinian territories, for the first time on Friday. The longest range recorded by Palestinian missiles prior to Friday had been 40km.
Things grew worse for Israeli rulers when Hamas targeted Herzliya, a city 11km North of Tel Aviv, on Sunday.
Targeting Herzliya means that Palestinian resistance groups now have the capability to hit targets, at least, 80km away, much beyond the previously thought 40-km range for Palestinian missiles.
And this strategic weapon which has changed the scene of the war between Israel and Palestinians is a rocket known as Fajr-5.
Fajr-class rockets, Fajr-5 (Dawn 5) in particular, are known and described by the world military experts, as a weapon system appropriate for asymmetric wars, where the military power of the conflicting sides differs significantly.
Fajr-1 rocket is a solid fuel 107mm rocket with a range of 8.3km and can be mounted on speed boats.
Fajr-2 is the second generation of Fajr-class rockets. It is a 240mm rocket that can hit targets in 25km in distance.
Fajr-3 is an optimized version of 240mm Fajr-2 rockets but with a range of 43km and a 85kg payload. The rocket is launched by Fajr-3 rocket launchers and can provide heavy firepower in asymmetric wars.
The world class Fajr-5 is a solid fuel non-fixed wing 333mm rocket designed and optimized for artillery missions to hit enemy's command and control, logistic, radar, communication, economic and political centers.
It is a rocket with 75km range, a payload of 178kg and speed of 1009meter per second.
The two-stage version of Fajr-5 rockets are the most effective and longest range of the Fajr-class rockets and can be used against enemy targets such as command and control centers, logistics, radar, communication, airports, plants and economic and political centers.
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Political and military experts believe that Israel was shocked and later pushed to reassess its calculations after Palestinian groups responded to the Israeli army's Wednesday aggression on Gaza with a stunning retaliation, hitting Tel Aviv, a move which eventually made Israel start an overture and change its war rhetoric about an impending ground incursion into Gaza to a tone of compromise in pursuit of truce.
News ID 183431
