An Incendiary kite[ Incendiary kite from Gaza causes massive fire in Be'eri Forest, YNET, 2 May 2018](also Firebomb kite,[ Army warns Gazans against flying firebomb kites into Israel, Times of Israel, 4 May 2018] flaming kite,[ Flaming Kites From Gaza Thwarted by Winds, New York Times, 4 May 2018] Fire Kite
Historical use
Kites were first used in warfare by the Chinese.
[ Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact, Justin D. Murphy, page 2][ The Strange and Violent History of Kites, Haaretz, Noa Manheim, 28 June 2018] During the
Song dynasty the
Fire Crow, a kite carrying incendiary powder, a fuse and a burning stick of incense, was developed as a weapon.
[ China Reconstructs, Volume 33, 1984] Walter de Milemete's 1326
De nobilitatibus, sapientiis, et prudentiis regum treatise depicts a group of knights flying a kite laden with a black-powder-filled firebomb over the wall of a city.
[ Taking Flight: Inventing the Aerial Age, from Antiquity Through the First World War, Richard Hallion, pages 9-10] According to
Samguk Sagi, in 647
Kim Yu-sin, a Korean general of
Silla, rallied his troops to defeat rebels by using flaming kites which also scared the enemy.
[ History of Science in Korea, Sang-un Chŏn, page 181] In the 17th century, the forces of Thai king
Phetracha tied gunpowder barrels to kites used for airborne assault.
Gaza Strip use
During the 2018 Gaza border protests Palestinians from the
Gaza Strip have flown fire bomb kites over the Israel–Gaza barrier, setting fires on the Israeli side of the border,
[ Gazans Fly Firebombs Tied to Kites Into Israel, Sparking Several Blazes, Haaretz, 16 April 2018][ Gazans use kites to set fire to fields, forests in Israel, JNS, 17 April 2018][ Flaming kite from Gaza sets Israeli warehouse ablaze, Times of Israel, 21 April 2018][ Continuing kite threat puts Israeli farmers on edge, YNET, 24 April 2018] Since the beginning of May 2018,
[ Kite terror continues to strike Gaza border communities, 8 May 2018, YNET] longer range helium filled incendiary balloons, devised from party balloons and condoms, have been used alongside the kites.
[ Beyond kites: ‘Fire balloons’ increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze, Times of Israel, 4 June 2018][ Israel announces Gaza sanctions in response to cross-border blazes, Reuters, 9 July 2018][ Gaza rocket barrage triggers Israeli air strikes, BBC, 20 June 2018] In one instance, a falcon outfitted with a harness with flaming material at the end was utilized as well.
[ Gaza’s Latest Weapon? Arson Bird Found Near Border With Israel, Bloomberg, Alisa Odenheimer, 17 July 2018]
As of 10 July 2018, incendiary kites and balloons have started 678 fires in Israel, destroying of woodland and of agricultural fields as well as causing additional damage to open fields.[ Kite, balloon terrorism continues scorching Israel's land, YNET, Matan Tzuri, 10 July 2018]
See also
