Khaibar-1

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Remains of a Khaibar-1 rocket found in Afula

The Khaibar-1 (Arabic: خيبر-1‎) is an Iranian-made Fajr-5 or Fajr-3 artillery rocket (itself a copy of the Russian Katyusha) renamed and used by the militant group Hezbollah to attack cities and towns in northern Israel. The name of the rocket was first revealed on July 28, 2006 by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah in a speech on the group's Al-Manar television station.

The Khaibar-1 is significant because it has a 75-km range, longer than most of the Katyusha-type rockets in the Hezbollah rocket force. The rocket was first fired at the Israeli city of Afula, south of Haifa. In early August 2006, Khaibar-1 rockets were reported to hit Beit Shean, about 70 km south of the Lebanese border,^[1] Hadera,^[2] and Haifa, Israel's third-largest city.^[3] The Israel Defence Force claims the Khaibar-1 rocket is a renamed Iranian-made Fajr-5 or Fajr-3 rocket. The expression 'Hai-bar' in Hebrew, which is pronounced in the same way as Khaibar, means a breeding ground for animals ^[4]. This resulted in many Israelis reacting to the name of the rocket with humor.

Origin of the name

Khaibar, also spelled Khaybar, is an oasis approximately 95 miles east of Medina, which was once the largest Jewish settlement in Arabia. The name was chosen as a reminder of the Battle of Khaybar, a battle that took place in 629 A.D. between Muhammed and his followers against the Jews who inhabited the settlement.^[5]

See also

• 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
• Iran's missile forces
• Khaybar KH2002

References