Iran has attacked Israel with missiles and rockets today after tensions escalated in West Asia following artillery and air strikes on Lebanon to target Hezbollah, a Shia militant outfit and a strong ally of Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said today's attack is in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as that of the Hamas leader.
Israel's formidable air defence systems were in action to intercept rockets and missiles launched from Iran. Videos show the night sky lighting up with explosions after air raid sirens echoed across the country. The missiles were detected over the Jordanian air space, the flight path followed by the missiles when fired toward Israel. Jordan has announced a suspension of air traffic after the attack on Israel.
The missiles were raining down on Israel and the Iron Dome and Arrow air defence system were in action to intercept and neutralise the targets. Iran fired over 100 missiles, Israeli media reported and several videos showed intercepted missile debris falling over Israeli cities.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has ordered the US military to "aid Israel's defence" and shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel. Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are monitoring Iran's attack on Israel from the White House situation room, it said in a statement.
This is the second Iranian attack on Israel in less than six months. In April, Iran launched a swarm of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel. The Iranian salvo amounted to more than 200 drones and missiles. Iran has vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven Guards officers including two senior commanders.
Israel's Multi-Tier Air Defence System
The Arrow Defence System is a surface-to-surface missile system forming an upper tier in Israel's multi-layered air defence system.
Iron Dome has shot down thousands of rockets since 2011 but is limited to a short range. Israel also has a medium-to-long-range interceptor known as David's Sling.
Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the Arrow Defence System create a layered defence system. The Iron Dome system, which has been battle-tested in the past, was actively deployed to intercept drones and short-range threats.
The radar of Arrow 2 - used against long-range ballistic missiles - has an effective range of 2,400 kilometres and can strike altitudes of 100 kilometres.
The radar constantly detects incoming threats towards the territory. Once a target is detected, real-time information is relayed to the control centre regarding the estimated trajectory of the target, its speed, and if the missile is heading toward a strategic target like cities or military establishments, the missile is launched.
The Arrow 3 Air Defence System neutralize targets in the exo-atmosphere before the ballistic missile enters the re-entry stage. In April, when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel with ballistic and cruise missiles, the Arrow 3 system intercepted the missiles before the re-entry stage in the atmosphere.
The United States has funded roughly half of the annual development costs of the Arrow 2 system. By 2020, the total U.S. financial contribution toward the Arrow Weapon System exceeded $3.7 billion.
