Missiles from space killed Khamenei - What are Blue Sparrow missiles?
Israel used Blue Sparrow missiles, among others, to kill Khamenei. These missiles are notorious for going to space before taking a shot at their target. This manoeuvre makes it hard for the enemy to intercept them. Here is all you need to know about Blue Sparrow missiles.
Blue Sparrow missiles killed Khamenei
Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by raining down a barrage of missiles on his palace after luring him out of hiding. At least 30 missiles struck the compound, including state-of-the-art Blue Sparrows. These missiles travel to the edge of space before entering back into Earth's atmosphere, taking aim and hitting the target. They are designed to make it hard for the enemy to intercept them.
Blue Sparrow missiles were carried by F15 fighter jets
The Blue Sparrow missiles are made in Israel. They have a range of 1,240 miles and weigh around 1.9 tonnes. Originally, when they were first produced in 2013, these missiles were meant to test air defence systems. However, Israel modified them to use them as an air-to-surface missile since they move at extremely fast speeds.
Blue Sparrow missiles go to space and then re-enter atmosphere
Their main USP lies in the fact that they enter space before hitting the target. After fighter jets launch them, booster rockets carry the Blue Sparrow missiles to space. The re-entry vehicle separates from the booster a target is locked. The missile then re-enters the atmosphere and slams into it, creating widespread destruction.
Look-alike Scud missiles
The space manoeuvre ensures that the missile becomes extremely difficult to intercept. The Sparrow missiles are also made in Black and Silver variants. They are inspired by the Scud missiles that the Soviet Union made in the 1950s and 60s. However, they were later termed obsolete and were no longer produced. But the technology was exported, and North Korea, Iraq and others produced different variants. Scud were infamously use din the Iran-Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War.
Israel hacked street cameras to spy on guards
Israel had been running a years-long intelligence campaign as part of which it had hacked into the street cameras that the regime used to spy on its own people. The data on key bodyguards gathered using them was sent to Tel Aviv and southern Israel. Mossad tracked their movement, addresses, schedule and the leaders they were protecting to learn their pattern.
IDF pretended to be on holiday to lure Khamenei out of his safe space
The other key part was their plan to dupe Iran into believing that the IDF had cooled down on the operations and was taking a break for Shabbat. All officials went home, and the IDF ensured that Tehran saw that the headquarters didn't have many people working. This gave Khamenei the confidence to come out from hiding and meet his senior officials.
Missiles launched on the compound killed Khamenei and many of his family members
But IDF officers returned in disguise and fighter jets took position. On Saturday morning, they flew and launched missiles on the compound, killing Khamenei. His wife, 79-year-old Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law also lost their lives, along with two high-level military leaders - Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Major General Mohammad Pakpour.
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