Watch: Video shows Israel intercepting Iranian missile outside Earth’s atmosphere
Iranian attack on Israel
A short clip which is purportedly from the time when Iran launched its barrage of missiles and drones at Israel, on Saturday (Apr 13) night, shows the Israeli air defence system conductwhat appearsto be an exoatmospheric intercept.
What does the video show?
The clip shows what appears to be an Iranian ballistic missile being intercepted reportedly byIsrael’s Arrow air defence system which caused a blue and round bubble-like explosion.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos, videos and information shared on social media.
Israel first used the Arrow 3 which has been called the “missile-killer”, last year. It is a part of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS), which detects, tracks, intercepts and destroys incoming ballistic missiles.
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Arrow 3 is capable of conducting an exoatmospheric intercept by travelling through the lowest layer of space during its flight path and is used for long-range threat engagement.
The Arrow project was developed jointly by the Israel Missile Defence Organisation and the United States Missile Defense Agency.
Iran attacks Israel
On Saturday night, Iran launched hundreds of kamikaze drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles towards Israel with explosions heard across the country.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that more than 300 drones and missiles were launched, but 99 per cent of them were intercepted.
“The Iranian threat met the Israel Defense Force’s aerial and technological superiority together with a strong fighting coalition, that together intercepted most of the threats,” said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
He added, “We intercepted 99% of the threats launched towards Israel’s territory. This is a very significant strategic achievement.”
The attack on Saturday is apparently a retaliation to what Iran called an Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria’s Damascus, on April 1 that killed seven IRGC officers. However, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.