JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel will deploy tanks equipped with a miniature defense system along the Gaza border after the Palestinian resistance fighters for the first time used a sophisticated, tank-piercing missile believed to be the most advanced weapon in their arsenal.

The Palestinian use of Kornet missiles, confirmed by Israel's military chief on Tuesday, marks a new milestone for Gaza resistance fighters, who have steadily built up their arsenal from a collection of crude, homemade rockets to include more menacing imported weapons.
Israel's answer is called Trophy, a first-of-its-kind Israeli-made system carried by tanks that is designed to shoot down missiles like the Kornet.
Lebanon’s Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah used the Russian-made Kornets in the 2006 war, destroying or damaging several dozen Israeli tanks.
Violence has been escalating along the Gaza border in recent weeks. In his parliamentary testimony Tuesday, Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, confirmed the resistance fighters fired a Kornet missile for the first time earlier this month, and it penetrated an Israeli tank.
He called the missile ""one of the most dangerous in the battlefield."" Ashkenazi said. He said the missile did not explode inside the tank, and no one was hurt.
The Israeli defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss such matters publicly, provided no proof to support their claim that the laser-guided missile came from a regional powerhouse.
Hamas has not confirmed or denied possessing the missiles.
In the wake of the recent attack, the Zionist military decided to move to the Gaza border dozens of tanks equipped with the Israel-developed Trophy system, which detects incoming projectiles and shoots them down before they reach armored vehicles. Production of the Trophy was stepped after the 2006 war.
The Trophy has not yet been tried on the battlefield, though the Defense Ministry says it has been tested successfully against a variety of weapons, including Kornets.
Israel's volatile front with Gaza has been relatively quiet since an overwhelming military offensive against Palestinian militants two years ago. But there has been a surge in violence in recent weeks, with the resistance fighters firing rockets and mortars into Israel and Israel responding with airstrikes.
The Kornet — made in Russia and sold widely overseas — is the most advanced weapon believed to be in the hands of Gaza resistance fighters.
In use since the mid-1990s, the Kornet is capable of penetrating armor up to four feet (1,200 mm) thick and has a range of about almost four miles (5.5 kilometers). It carries a warhead of 22 pounds (10 kilograms).
Armed groups also possess rockets capable of traveling up to 70 kilometers (40 miles), putting the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in their range.
The U.S. and Russia are developing similar systems, but the Israeli one is believed to be the first to be deployed on the battlefield.
The Israeli offensive two years ago killed 1,400 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused heavy damage to some areas in Gaza.
An Israeli human rights lawyer said Wednesday that he has asked Israel's Supreme Court to indefinitely extend the time period for Gazans to request compensation for damage.
Michael Sfard said the two-year statute of limitations is about to run out, but most Gazans are refused special travel permits to appear in Israeli courts. The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said the travel ban affects more than 1,000 people
Guy Inbar, a military spokesman, said Israeli lawyers could meet their Palestinian clients at a special area of a Gaza-Israel border crossing. Sfard said he was unaware of such an arrangement.
Photo: Kornet E laser guided anti-tank missile
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