- Title: ISRAELI-OCCUPIED JORDAN: ROCKETS FOUND POISED TO BLAST JERUSALEM.
- Date: 27th August 1969
- Summary: ISRAELI TROOPS AT ROCKET SITE; ROCKETS ON LAUNCHERS; POLICEMAN WITH TRACKER DOG; BETHLEHEM IN THE DISTANCE; EMPTY LAUNCHERS; BATTERIES; SOLDIERS SEARCHING AND ARABS BEING TAKEN FOR INTERROGATION. Initials GL/VS/BOB/LAD Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th September 1969 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEAR BETHLEHEM/ISRAELI-OCCUPIED JORDAN.
- Country: Jordan
- Reuters ID: LVA2LZ1OWC1QMSMO7M1LVOT6QW75
- Story Text: AFTER TWO ROCKETS EXPLODED ON OPEN GROUND IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF JERUSALEM EARLY YESTERDAY (TUESDAY), HELICOPTER SEARCHING WITHIN FIRING RANGE LOCATED THIRTEEN UNFIRED ROCKETS ON A RIDGE THREE MILES (5 KMS) EAST OF BETHLEHEM, IN OCCUPIED JORDANIAN TERRITORY. THREE ROCKETS HAD BEEN FIRED FROM THE SITE, ONE IS UNACCOUNTED FOR.
THE SITE IS SOME FOUR MILES (7 KMS) FROM JERUSALEM, AND COULD HAVE DELIVERED A DISASTROUS BLOW TO THE CITY. THE THREE ROCKETS THAT HAD BEEN FIRED WERE EGYPTIAN-MADE 130MM KATYUSHAS, AND SEVEN UNFIRED KATYUSHAS WERE FOUND ON THE SITE TOGETHER WITH SIX CZECH-MADE 80 MM AIR-TO-GROUND MISSILES. ALL WERE WIRED TO BATTERIES AND DETONATORS.
IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR WHY THE THIRTEEN ROCKETS HAD NOT BEEN FIRED. THE SPENT LAUNCHERS WERE FOUND SOME YARDS (METRES) BEHIND THE OTHERS, AND ONE SUGGESTION IS THAT THE DISTANCE THEY WERE THROWN COULD HAVE SCARED THE SABOTEURS.
EXPERTS SAID BETWEEN 15 AND 30 MEN MUST HAVE BEEN NEEDED TO DRAG THE LAUNCHERS TO THE SITE, AND ARABS LIVING NEARBY WERE DETAINED FOR INTERROGATION.
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