Israel says Iran has launched over 400 ballistic missiles since the war began, with a 92% interception rate, despite recent strikes on southern towns
JERUSALEM: Iran has fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, according to the Israeli military.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the forces have achieved approximately a 92% successful interception rate.
The announcement followed Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns a day earlier. Those attacks left around 175 people needing medical treatment.
One of the towns hit was Dimona, widely believed to hold Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal. The missile impact was just five kilometres from the town’s nuclear facility.
The other nearby town to be hit was Arad, which saw extensive damage to several buildings.
Shoshani said the missiles fired on Saturday were “not different from ballistic missiles” used previously. He stated there have only been four direct hits during the war so far.
The Israeli military has said it will investigate the failure to intercept the incoming fire on Saturday. “We have intercepted in the past and will intercept in the future,” Shoshani said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Saturday was a “very difficult evening”. He urged residents to head to protection centres whenever sirens blare.
On Sunday he visited Arad, where he vowed to continue pursuing top Iranian officials. “We are going after the IRGC (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards), this criminal gang,” Netanyahu told journalists.
“We’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them personally,” he added.
One man was wounded Sunday in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv. Local media said the injury resulted from a blast caused by a cluster munition.
