Air raid sirens blared across Israel after Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory. Similar aerial attacks occurred last year when Hamas launched Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ and conducted aerial and ground attacks.The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated, “Dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches from Iran were identified approaching Israeli territory. The IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted the majority of the launches using the Arrow Aerial Defense System, together with Israel’s strategic allies, before they crossed into Israeli territory.” “We intercepted 99% of the threats launched to the territory of Israel. It’s a very significant strategic success,” Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
Israel’s Aerospace Industries, in collaboration with the US Missile Defence Agency, produced the Arrow Defence System, a surface-to-surface missile system forming an upper tier in Israel’s multi-layered air defence system. Development began in the late 1980s as a joint effort between Israel and the US. The Arrow 1 system’s technology demonstrator underwent at least seven flight tests in the 1990s and was further developed to form a lighter missile known as Arrow 2, which was inducted in 2000.
The induction of Arrow 2 missiles in the air defence arsenal gave Israel the capability to intercept short and medium-range missiles with its hit-and-kill approach in the upper atmosphere. The objective is to neutralize the incoming missile before its descent stage.