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Al-Qassam
Brigades Claim Shooting Down Israeli F-16
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Israeli
troops inspect the wreckage of the downed F-16 fighter
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By
Yassir El-banna , IOL Palestine Correspondent
GAZA
CITY - February 24 (IslamOnline.net) - The Ezzedin Al-Qassam Brigades ,
the armed wing of the Islamic resistance group Hamas, Monday, February
24, claimed responsibility for putting down an Israeli F-16 fighter-jet
north of Jenin city in the west bank.
In
a statement by the Brigade, a copy of which was obtained by IOL, the
resistance group declared that two of its activists “opened fire from
an automatic 250 mm gun against the military f-16 plane , which was
flying low over Marj bin Amer zone, north east of Jenin”.
The
statement added that “the operation was a gift to the family of martyr
Thaer Mohamed Zakarna , the leader of the Brigades in Jenin , killed by
the Israelis a few days ago.
For
its part, Israel has not commented on the Brigades statement.
According
to Israeli military sources, the warplane crashed in Israeli territory
to the northeast of the Palestinian town of Jenin in the northern West
Bank. The pilot ejected and landed in Israel safely, the sources said.
The
army said in a statement that the crash occurred due to a technical
fault in the area of Afula, an Arab-Israeli town in the north.
However,
Air Force commander General Dan Haloutz ordered an investigation into
the incident.
“This
operation was a success, due to Allah’s blessing. It is part of our
resistance against the occupation,” Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesy , a Hamas
political leader, said.
Responding
to a question by IOL about whether the operation comes as a new strategy
by Hamas to activate the Intifada, or it is “a loner, improvised,
sudden act”, Ranteesy said, “it was a planned operation,” adding
that “those who carried out the attack could not go out without
definite planning”.
The
Hamas leader confirmed that “resistance, by all means, is the only
choice the Palestinians have, as long as the Israeli occupation
continues”.
On
Sunday, February 23, the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement blew up
an Israeli Mirkava-3 tank, bringing the number of destroyed tanks to
seven. However, that was the first time Hamas declared shooting down an
F-16 fighter-jet. The Israeli army considers the F-16 “the crown of
its Air Force”.
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