IRGC says attack on Israel was a small portion of Iran’s military might as Fattah 2 hypersonic missiles strikes the Nevatim air force base and MOSSAD HQ
Iran used hypersonic missiles for the first time during its strikes on Israel on Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced.
Iran launched several salvos of missiles in what the IRGC called a response to the recent Israeli killings of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as an Iranian general who was in Lebanon.
IAF Nevatim airbase home to the F-35I of the 117th, 116th, 140th squadrons was reportedly destroyed
Fattah-2 hypersonic missiles were used in the attack to bypass the Israeli radars, Iranian media reported on Tuesday evening, citing the IRGC.
People take shelter during an air raid siren, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in central Israel October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Guard claimed that 80-90% of the missiles used in ‘Operation Honest Promise 2’ struck their targets, among which were the Tel Nof air base near Tel Aviv and the Netsarim area near Gaza, where they said “a large number of Israeli tanks” was destroyed.
Iran also claimed to have destroyed a number of Israeli F-35 fighters at the Nevatim air base, located halfway between Beersheba and the Dead Sea.
A man holds children as people take cover during an air raid siren, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in central Israel October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated the number of incoming missiles at 180 and acknowledged that “a few hits”have been recorded. According to the IDF, the majority of the missiles were successfully intercepted. The only reported casualty on the ground is a Palestinian man, who was killed by a falling missile fragment near Jericho in the West Bank.
Tuesday’s attack was bigger in size and scope than the April strike, the first-ever such attack by Iran, in which scores of ballistic missiles and drones bombarded Israel in reprisal for an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Rockets fly in the sky, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, October 1. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Hypersonic missiles fly anywhere from five to 25 times the speed of sound. Iran unveiled its first such missile, the Fattah-1, last June. The Fattah-2 version was revealed to the public in November. Neither had been used in combat before.
Iran’s Honest Promise 1
According to Tehran, the missile attack was the response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, who was killed in Tehran back in July. Iran also cited the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Major General Abbas Nilforoshan in Lebanon last week.
Israel has vowed to strike back, while Iran has warned that any further attacks will be met with further force.
The Fatteh 2 hypersonic missile
Iran has made a “big mistake tonight,” and will “pay for it,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that the missile attack was “thwarted thanks to Israel’s air defense system.”
“Whoever attacks us – we will attack him,” he warned, according to the Times of Israel. The PM urged the “forces of light in the world” to unite against Tehran.
Iranian Government official statement Tuesday evening. “Based on legitimate rights and with the aim of peace and security for Iran and the region, a decisive response was given to the aggression of the Zionist regime. This action was in defense of the interests and citizens of Iran.
“Let Netanyahu know that Iran is not a belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat. This is only a corner of our power. Do not enter into a conflict with Iran.”
Source X/RT/AP/IRNA