Israel intercepted a rocket outside Earth's atmosphere
Israel intercepted a rocket outside Earth's atmosphere (photo: Getty Images)
The Israeli Air Force has become the first in the world to successfully intercept a ballistic missile outside Earth's atmosphere using the Arrow missile defense system, reports The Telegraph.
According to reports, the target was launched by the Houthi group from Yemen in the direction of an Israeli city and managed to travel 1,600 kilometers before being successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force in space.
The Telegraph claims that Israel shot down a Houthi ballistic missile launched from Yemen as it headed towards Eilat on October 30, in what was likely the first-ever combat in space.
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As the publication notes, Israel used the Arrow missile defense system to shoot down a missile… pic.twitter.com/Q67pTPnKPK
"This week, Israel utilized its Arrow missile defense system to intercept a ballistic missile outside Earth's atmosphere, marking the first-ever combat engagement to take place in space. The ballistic missile was launched from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and traveled nearly 1,000 miles over the Arabian Peninsula on its way to its target – the Israeli port city of Eilat," as stated in the article.
It is reported that the Israel Defense Forces have not disclosed the details of the interception, but it is known that the Israeli Air Force has several batteries of the Arrow 2 system in its arsenal, which employs a hypersonic interceptor to destroy missiles traveling in space.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has released a video that shows the moment of interception: on the false-color image, a barely noticeable cylindrical shape of the approaching ballistic missile is visible, and then an explosion appears on the screen, spreading across the entire frame.
Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip
At the beginning of October, Hamas militants launched a large-scale invasion into Israel. They killed and kidnapped both military personnel and civilians. In response, Israel declared a military operation against the militants called Operation Iron Swords.
As part of this operation, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) expanded its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, deploying troops and equipment to the region.
According to reports, this escalation occurred after negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding the release of hostages reached a deadlock.
The spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Rear Admiral Daniel Haggai, stated that IDF forces have completely surrounded the city of Gaza, with no ceasefire in sight.
