Sudanese minister says IAF jets responsible for bombing at Khartoum weapons site; declares Sudan 'reserves the right to strike back at Israel'.
Sudan, which analysts say is used as an arms smuggling route to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip via neighbouring Egypt, has blamed Israel for such strikes in the past but Israel has always either refused to comment or said it neither admitted or denied involvement.

* In wake of recent rocket attacks, Israel residents around the Gaza strip say they feel abandoned, defenseless and angry at their goverment that prioritizes certain communities over others; 'Our lives are like a game of Russian roulette. How long will this so-called luck last?' says one resident.
"Maybe we should just go sleep at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home so we can all feel safe," says another

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An arms factory in Khartoum where there were blasts and a huge fire overnight was attacked by four military planes, a Sudanese minister said on Wednesday, blaming the air strike on Israel.

Sudan, which analysts say is used as an arms smuggling route to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip via neighbouring Egypt, has blamed Israel for such strikes in the past but Israel has always either refused to comment or said it neither admitted or denied involvement.


No official Israeli source commented on the accusations. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that the military "will not comment on the report"; while the Prime Minister's Office refused to comment.


Witnesses had reported several explosions at the plant late on Tuesday before the fire erupted. Some people were taken to hospitals after inhaling smoke but otherwise there were no casualties, the state news agency had previously reported.

"Four military planes attacked the Yarmouk plant ... We believe that Israel is behind it," Information Minister Ahmed Belal Osman told reporters, adding that the planes had appeared to approach the site from the east.

"Sudan reserves the right to strike back at Israel," he said, adding two citizens had been killed and that the plant had been partially destroyed.

The governor of Khartoum state had initially ruled out any "external" reasons for the blast but officials later showed journalists a video from the site. A huge crater could be seen next to two destroyed buildings and what appeared to be a rocket lying on the ground.

Osman said an analysis of rocket debris and other material on the ground had shown that Israel was behind the attack.

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* The recent escalation in southern Israel has taken its toll on local residents as over 50 rockets were fired Wednesday from the Gaza Strip. The attack has left residents feeling abandoned, defenseless and angry.

"We just lie on top of our children and try to protect them with our bodies," said one resident.


In the recent round of rocket fire, three foreign workers at the Eshkol Regional Council were injured. As the wounded victims were transferred to hospitals, some communities in the area have announced that all school activity is to be cancelled.

Wednesday's rocket barrage has left residents questioning the readiness of their community bomb shelters.

"We're just waiting for the next 'Color Red' alert to sound," Mickey, a local resident, told Ynet. "We know it's coming, we just don't know when or where it will hit. We have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter but the chances of making it are slim, so we just take the kids to a room with no windows and use it as a protected space. It's a bit like Russian roulette."

Zelpa, whose house was directly hit by a rocket, expressed her anger at the government's decision to neglect Israel's southern communities.

"We don't have protected spaces. My house was hit and it's a miracle that I came out of it alive. We're living on borrowed time. The question is: How long will this so-called luck last? Maybe we should just go sleep at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home so we can all feel safe," she said.

More than 50 rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel since Tuesday night, 30 of them at the Eshkol area. Five houses suffered a direct hit.

The Iron Dome system intercepted seven rockets fired at Hof Ashkelon.

Two of the three foreign workers who were injured in the attack, sustained serious wounds and one sustained light wounds. They were rushed to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4296544,00.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4296374,00.html




Photos: Site of the explosion in Sudan (2), Residents under rocket fire in Israel (3-4)