A ground-to-ground ballistic missile fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen at Israel this morning caused air-raid sirens to be sounded in extensive areas of Gush Dan and the coastal plain. Fragments of interceptors and of the missile hit various places.
Like other Iranian proxies, the Houthis enjoy a steady supply of ballistic and cruise missiles from Iran. A mid-range ballistic missile that can hit Israel from Yemen (a distance of about 2,000 kilometers) reaches a speed of Mach 5 (over 6,000 kilometers an hour) or more. As soon as it ends the acceleration stage, it remain on a fixed trajectory to its target. Iran has several missiles capable of reaching Israel, among them Imad, Ghadr-1, and Khorramshahr missiles.
Cruise missiles are harder to intercept than ballistic missiles. Since the beginning of the Swords of Iron war, Israel has intercepted ballistic missiles with its Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems. Unlike a ballistic missile, a cruise missile can maneuver, but it is slower, and systems capable of intercepting it have been developed. The main danger of a cruise missile is that it can follow an arcing course, circumventing radar systems and attacking behind them. A cruise missile launched by the Houthis could thus reach Eilat from the direction of Egypt.
The Houthis have only one cruise missile capable of reaching Israel, the Sumar. It does however have shore-to-sea cruise missiles with ranges of 30-300 kilometers that threaten shipping in the Red Sea. Hezbollah in Lebanon also reportedly has Iranian-made cruise missiles. We await information from the Houthis about the type of missile fired at Israel this morning.
Ballistic missiles fly at high altitude, and the relevant interception systems are the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, both produced by Israel Aerospace Industries. Arrow 2 is designed for interception within the atmosphere while Arrow 3 is for interception above it. These long-range interceptors are complemented by Rafael’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems for short to medium range threats.
Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 are expensive to operate. A single interception is estimated to cost about $30,000 using Iron Dome and about $700,000 using David’s Sling, but about $1.5 million with Arrow 2 and $3 million with Arrow 3. Of course, every interception prevents human physical and psychological casualties, and huge economic damage as well.
A ballistic missile reach Israel in about 15 minutes from T=Yemen and bout 12 minutes from Iran. A cruise missile will take about two-and-a-half hours from Yemen, and about two hours from Iran. Slower than these are Iranian-made suicide drones, which travel at about 250 kilometers an hour. It will take one of these about eleven and a quarter hours to reach the south of Israel from Yemen. The drone that hit Tel Aviv came from the direction of the sea, after a flight of about 16 hours.
The Houthis have not yet officially taken responsibility for today’s attack, but for months they have been vowing revenge for Israel’s attack on the port of Houdeidah, which caused severe damage. Yesterday, Mohamed al-Atifi, the Defense Minister of the Houthi government, warned of "surprises" in the coming days, and today a surprise was sprung.
Meanwhile, heavy exchanges of fire continue between the IDF and Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border. The IDF reports about 40 rockets fired from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights this morning. A UAV that penetrated Israeli airspace fell near Metulla. No casualties are reported.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 15, 2024.
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