WORLD> Middle East
Missile threat on Israeli bases 'not' serious
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-29 16:08

JERUSALEM -- The ballistic missile threat to Israel Defence Force (IDF) bases in the central region and south is not as serious as thought, a recent study conducted by the army's Planning Division said.

According to the study, the bases would not need to be evacuated in the event of a war in the north, The Jerusalem Post reported on its website Friday.

The study was conducted by a team of officers and included an advanced analysis of the missiles in the arsenals of Israel's neighbors, particularly Syria and Hezbollah. It was initiated following the Second Lebanon War, when 4,000 Hezbollah rockets struck northern Israel.

The study shows that although Syria and Hezbollah have thousands of short-range rockets and long-range ballistic missiles, their accuracy is limited.

The study further concluded that due to the inaccuracy of the Syrian and Hezbollah missiles,  Ramat David Air Force Base situated near Nazareth needn't evacuate and transfer the aircraft deployed there to alternative bases in the south as thought.