Israel today shared a video showing how it intercepted hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran during its first-ever attack on Israeli territory.
Iran’s overnight attack, which was imminent but unprecedented, came in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, the Israeli army said. But 99 per cent of them were intercepted before they reached Israeli territory, the army said, with help from the United States, Jordan, Britain and other allies.
“This is what a 99% interception rate looks like. Operational footage from the Aerial Defense System protecting the Israeli airspace,” Israel Defense Forces captioned the video posted on X.
This is what a 99% interception rate looks like. Operational footage from the Aerial Defense System protecting the Israeli airspace: pic.twitter.com/eAwcUPUDw2
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 14, 2024
The Israeli military said that around 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel by Iran.
Israel’s Crucial Iron Dome Air Defence System
Israel has a crucial Iron Dome air defence system in place that has been intercepting rockets since it first went into operation in 2011.
The Iron Dome has been heavily relied upon to protect Israeli cities from frequent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
It is a part of Israel’s multi-tiered missile defence systems and is designed to intercept short-range rockets at a distance of up to 70 kilometres.
The Iron Dome saves thousands of lives. Here’s how: pic.twitter.com/jktB0lpuB2
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 8, 2022
Israel also has other missile defence systems like the Arrow, to counter ballistic missiles, and David’s Sling, for medium-range rocket or missile attacks.
(With agency inputs)
