More Rockets: No Truce

Nothing has changed today - there is clearly no truce and no end in sight:

Lull breached; rockets hit western Negev

The fragile armistice declared by the Gaza terror groups was breached once more Monday evening, as several rockets were were fired from northern Gaza at Israel's southern communities.

Four Qassam rockets were fired from northern Gaza at the area: One landed south of Ashkelon causing no harm; and three others exploded in open areas at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

One of the rockets which hit Hof Ashkelon caused a local brushfire, which spread to an area bordering two of the council's communities, and threatened local greenhouses. Fire and Rescue Services teams were able to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported.

This was the third time rockets were fired at Israel since the Gaza groups agreed to a lull: A rocket hit the Eshkol Regional Council early Monday morning, damaging an empty building; and a barrage of Qassam rockets was fired at Israel's south Sunday evening, just minutes after a ceasefire declared by Hamas was to go into effect.

Rocket Fire Continues on Southern Israel

Southern Israeli cities came under rocket fire again for a fifth night

Residents in the coastal city of Ashkelon found themselves racing for cover several times throughout the night Monday as the Color Red air raid siren blared its warning, starting in the early evening

Below, we can basically see why its called 'terrorism':

However, the necessity of racing for shelter late at night creates an especially difficult time for families with children or other relatives who are elderly or unwell, noted Hana Levi Julian, LCSW-R, a behavioral psychotherapist.

"This comes not only due to the nocturnal disruption in the body's circadian rhythm but also due to the sudden spike in adrenalin that results from the body's response to the alert siren. The cumulative effect of such stimuli are especially damaging to children, whose bodies and minds are in the formative stages of life," she commented.

Turning back to Libya, we see another analysis by Debka:

Rebels still battling for control of Tripoli

This is an interesting piece, but at the end they ask some more very interesting questions - here are a few that struck me:

Where are the six government special divisions whose loyalty to the Libyan ruler and his sons was never in question? None of the 15,000 trained government troops were to be seen in the way of the rebel advance into the capital. The mystery might be accounted for by several scenarios:

Or, perhaps, government units are staying out of sight and biding their time in order to turn the tables on the triumphant rebels and trap them in a siege. The Libyan army has used this stratagem before.

The news that is coming out late Monday is starting to suggest that the above scenario may be in play. Apparently the battle is far from over, and a trap may have been set for the rebels. We'll see.

How did the ragtag, squabbling Libyan rebels who were unable to build a coherent army in six months suddenly turn up in Tripoli Sunday looking like an organized military force and using weapons for which they were not known to have received proper training? Did they secretly harbor a non-Libyan hard core of professional soldiers?

What happened to the tribes loyal to Qaddafi? Up until last week, they numbered the three largest tribal grouping in the country. Did they suddenly melt away without warning?

Can the rebels and NATO claim an undisputed victory? Or might not the Libyan ruler, forewarned of NATO's plan to topple him by Sept. 1, have decided to dodge a crushing blow, cede Tripoli and retire to the Libyan Desert from which to wage war on the new rulers?

Can the heavily divided rebels, consisting of at least three militias, put their differences aside and establish a reasonable administration for governing a city of many millions? Their performance in running the rebel stronghold of Benghazi is not reassuring.

These are very good questions, and worth keeping in mind as we see more and more news coming in from Libya.