Hamas Rockets Hit Closer to Heart of Israel

[oberliner]

Beersheba, Israel - Atypically for Israel, Anat Weinstein-Berkowitz is dressed so smartly that she would fit in comfortably at any Wall Street law firm. Except for her sneakers.

She traded her high heels for flats earlier this week, after Ashkelon, where she is municipal spokeswoman, became the newest target for Hamas rockets. “I can run fast, but not in heels. To be safe, and able to reach a shelter, is more important than being elegant now,” she said, adding that sirens give a warning of only 15 to 20 seconds.

Israelis of all political shades reacted with shock and worry this weekend, as Hamas showed that it is increasing the range of its rockets. Until then, the weapons had been confined to a radius of just a few miles from Gaza, meaning Sderot and the surrounding areas. But this week, they began to fall on Ashkelon, a bustling city of 120,000 people situated considerably farther — 12 miles — from Gaza.

Another new target, Netivot, is a Negev development town like Sderot and home to 25,000 people. The head of municipal security there, Erez Kidhar, said he has been inspecting bomb shelters and sirens and “passing calming messages to the public,” just as his counterparts in Ashkelon are doing. “Sderot is already used to daily attacks, and so they are now targeting every city in range,” he said. “They are trying to enlarge the circle of panic.”

http://www.forward.com/articles/12866/