DEBKAfile Special Report December 19, 2008, 11:48 AM (GMT+02:00) Hamas "special forces" fighter DEBKAfile's military sources report: Minutes after Hamas declared the six-month "truce" was over and non-renewable at 6 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, the Israeli Army spokesman had this to say: "Quiet will be met by quiet but we will not hesitate to respond to missile offensives." Whereupon, proving the threat was hollow, Hamas fired three missiles, followed by sniper fire which drove farmers from their fields at Kibbutz Nir Oz and damaged vehicles. DEBKAfile Exclusive Report December 19, 2008, 11:47 AM (GMT+02:00) Syrian president Bashar Assad: No compromises Israeli caretaker prime minister Ehud Olmert has been warned that the trip he booked to Ankara for next Monday will be an exercise in futility. Damascus let it be known Friday. Dec. 19, that acceptance in advance of its "borders document" was the pre-condition for direct peace talks. This maximalist approach, sayDEBKAfile's sources in Washington, Jerusalem and Ankara, aims at notifying US president-elect Barack Obama that Damascus' "borders document" is a take-it-or-leave it proposition. DEBKAfile Special Report December 18, 2008, 7:39 PM (GMT+02:00) Russian S-300s on way to guarding Iran's nuclear sites Despite the efforts of US and Israeli leaders, Moscow is delivering the highly sophisticated air defense S-300 system to Iran for securing its nuclear and strategic sites against potential attack. The RIA news agency confirmed this Wednesday night, Dec. 18. DEBKAfile's military sources disclose the S-300 deliveries began two weeks ago. While both the Bush administration and Israeli leaders insisted a military option remained on the table if Iran persisted in its nuclear weapons program, neither took into account that Tehran was not deterred or standing idle. DEBKAfile Special Report December 18, 2008, 8:31 AM (GMT+02:00) Defense minister Ehud Barak with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi The 15th missile of Wednesday, Dec. 17, from Gaza, which injured 12 people - three from shrapnel, the rest in shock - exploded in the Sderot supermarket parking area, destroying shops and cars and scattering crowds of panicky Hanukah shoppers. The attack capped two days of a massive Palestinian missile and mortar barrage against several Israeli towns and villages without an Israeli military response. Only after Sderot did the Air Force go into action. Even then, the Palestinians kept on firing raising the day's number to 21. DEBKAfile Special Report December 15, 2008, 10:32 PM (GMT+02:00) Admiral Chabanenko Russia is sending a group of warships to Cuba. The warships will visit Havana on December 19-23, the Russian navy said. "This will be the first visit to Cuba by Russian warships since the Soviet era," the Russian naval headquarters said in its statement. The visit will be led by the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko. DF's post-truce signal to Hamas: Same old rules unless you go too far
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Friday, 19 December 2008
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