Israel is the only country in the world that lives under the shadow of an ongoing and publicly declared threat against its very existence - a threat which has warranted almost no international attention or reaction.
The threat against Israel emanating from Iran comes in addition to Israel's vulnerability to short-range artillery rockets, which have struck its territory in the past and continue to do so in the present.
The most tangible threats stem from the Katyusha rockets launched by terrorist groups from within Lebanon (the Hizbullah and various Palestinian factions) capable of striking throughout northern Israel, and the Kassam rockets which are currently limited to the Gaza Strip and have a range of 6-12 kilometers. Hundreds of Kassam rockets have been launched against Israeli civilians, especially since Israel left the Gaza Strip in August 2005. Palestinian acquisition of Katyusha rockets would threaten Israel's entire population.
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