By Ryan Jones
Mar 04, 2007
Islamic Jihad officials on Saturday said they were pleased by reports that their rocket attacks from Gaza were driving Israelis out of towns like Sderot.
Speaking to reporters during a Gaza City rally in support of Islamic Jihad, spokesman Daoud Shehab said a report in Israel's Ma'ariv that 54 families had decided to leave Sderot as a result of the security situation proved the incessant rocket fire was having the desired effect.
Shehab and other Jihad officials promised that more attacks would be forthcoming.
Their remarks came just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that visiting Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal had promised to use his group's position of authority to stop the attacks on southern Israel.
Mashaal himself never confirmed that, nor is Hamas expected to actually prevent its Islamic Jihad allies from attacking Israel.