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UFO OR MISSILE? MYSTERY LIGHTS RAISE HAVOC IN ISRAEL
http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/98545-ufo-or-missile-mystery-lights-raise-havoc-in-israel-
On Line: 08 June 2012 14:58
In Print: Saturday 09 June 2012
A spaceship flying over Israel? A satellite or a Russian ballistic
missile? An unidentified flying object observed in Middle East
countries Thursday night has caused panic, with people calling the
police to say they witnessed a UFO.
The mysterious shining object seen in the skies swirled around and
looked like smoke, some observers said. The object gave off light
and was followed by a smoke trail.
The strange flying phenomenon was also reported in Georgia, Armenia,
Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region.
The Israeli Defense Forces made a statement following the incident
saying they were unaware of any operations in the area.
Some astronomical experts conjectured that the object was a satellite
that had exploded in orbit, the Times of Israel reports. The newspaper
also quoted a Lebanese report suggesting that the flying item was
the remains of a meteorite, with its smashed pieces creating a dust
trail that glowed behind it.
Prominent Israeli astronomer Dr. Yigal Pat-El, who is chairman of
the Israeli Astronomical Association and an observatory director,
told the Ediot Ahronot newspaper it is quite possible that the object
was a ballistic missile.
"It most likely spun out of control and its remnants and the fuel
was what people saw. It reached a height of 200-300 kilometers and
that's why it was seen from so many locations," he told the newspaper.
Mr. Pat-El also said it was not a meteor: "It looked like a small
body that suddenly started to grow and make spiral-like movements."
"After a while, it turned into a cloud....it looked like an object
flying high above ground and then disintegrating," he added.
Suspicions that the shining flying object could be a missile were
further fuelled by a Russian Defense Ministry statement saying the
country had successfully test-fired a Topol strategic intercontinental
ballistic missile.
The launch was made from Russia's southern Astrakhan region to a
testing area in Kazakhstan 3500 km from Israel's northern border
where the object was seen.
The Russian Vesti-24 news channel quoted unnamed military officials
as saying the missile hit the practice target despite the fact that
it had an unusual flight trajectory.
Similar reports of an object that went spiraling and then disappeared
in the skies above Norway's northern town of Tromso emerged in 2009.
The Russian Defense Ministry later admitted it was a failed launch
of a Bulava intercontinental missile.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/98545-ufo-or-missile-mystery-lights-raise-havoc-in-israel-
On Line: 08 June 2012 14:58
In Print: Saturday 09 June 2012
A spaceship flying over Israel? A satellite or a Russian ballistic
missile? An unidentified flying object observed in Middle East
countries Thursday night has caused panic, with people calling the
police to say they witnessed a UFO.
The mysterious shining object seen in the skies swirled around and
looked like smoke, some observers said. The object gave off light
and was followed by a smoke trail.
The strange flying phenomenon was also reported in Georgia, Armenia,
Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region.
The Israeli Defense Forces made a statement following the incident
saying they were unaware of any operations in the area.
Some astronomical experts conjectured that the object was a satellite
that had exploded in orbit, the Times of Israel reports. The newspaper
also quoted a Lebanese report suggesting that the flying item was
the remains of a meteorite, with its smashed pieces creating a dust
trail that glowed behind it.
Prominent Israeli astronomer Dr. Yigal Pat-El, who is chairman of
the Israeli Astronomical Association and an observatory director,
told the Ediot Ahronot newspaper it is quite possible that the object
was a ballistic missile.
"It most likely spun out of control and its remnants and the fuel
was what people saw. It reached a height of 200-300 kilometers and
that's why it was seen from so many locations," he told the newspaper.
Mr. Pat-El also said it was not a meteor: "It looked like a small
body that suddenly started to grow and make spiral-like movements."
"After a while, it turned into a cloud....it looked like an object
flying high above ground and then disintegrating," he added.
Suspicions that the shining flying object could be a missile were
further fuelled by a Russian Defense Ministry statement saying the
country had successfully test-fired a Topol strategic intercontinental
ballistic missile.
The launch was made from Russia's southern Astrakhan region to a
testing area in Kazakhstan 3500 km from Israel's northern border
where the object was seen.
The Russian Vesti-24 news channel quoted unnamed military officials
as saying the missile hit the practice target despite the fact that
it had an unusual flight trajectory.
Similar reports of an object that went spiraling and then disappeared
in the skies above Norway's northern town of Tromso emerged in 2009.
The Russian Defense Ministry later admitted it was a failed launch
of a Bulava intercontinental missile.