Scary scenes unfolded in Israel Tuesday (Oct 1) as Iran launched over 150 missiles at the Jewish country, majorly targeting the central region of the country. This was the second Iranian attack this year, following a similar drone and missile attack in April. Iran said the Tuesday barrage was fired in response to the killings of top IRGC, Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Israel later said a staggering 180 missiles were fired by Iran, most of which it intercepted in its airspace. Tel Aviv said only a few hits were recorded in central Israel, in which two people were injured. Israel PM Netanyahu in a message said Iran had made a “big mistake” and that it will soon “pay for it.”
Let’s take a look at the types of missiles that Iran fired on Israel, under its so-called Operation True Promise-II.
Shahab-3 missile
Tehran is believed to have used these missiles and their variants in the barrage, reported CNN, citing experts who analysed videos. Most likely, Shahab-3 variants such as Emad or Qader were deployed by Tehran.
This is one of the staple medium-range ballistic missiles used by the Shi’ite nation, with a warhead capacity ranging from 760 to 1,200 kilogrammes.
Fattah-2 hypersonic missile
Iran for the first time used these hypersonic missiles against Israel on Tuesday. These are called Hypersonic Cruise Glide Vehicle (HCGV), and were unveiled in November last year.
Fattah-2 can manoeuvre through complex and unpredictable routes. Fattah-2 can hit targets within a range of 1,400 kilometres, travelling at a speed of 24,000 kms per hour, as per media reports. It can also make quick turns to avoid defense systems.
Haj Qasem missile
‘Haj Qasem’ is a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) developed by Iran, with a range of 1,400 kilometres and a warhead weight of 500 kilogrammes.
The missile was first revealed in 2020 and is named after late Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by US that year.
(With inputs from agencies)
