IDF base used to store nuclear-capable missiles hit in Hamas rocket attack.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Hamas rockets fired on October 7th struck Sdot Micha base in central Israel where Israel’s nuclear-capable missiles are stored, according to a report by The New York Times.
Although the missiles themselves weren’t hit, the impact from Hamas strikes caused a fire that could have threatened sensitive weaponry.
Even though Israel has not revealed to the world its nuclear program, US official reports and satellite imagery indicate that Israel does have a number of nuclear weapons.
Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project, predicts there are 25 to 30 Jericho missile launchers at the Sdot Micha base, and every Jericho missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
However, experts agree that the nuclear warheads aren’t stored at the Sdot Micha base.
This is the first instance of Palestinians hitting an area connected with Israel’s nuclear program, and it isn’t clear whether Hamas was aware of the significance of the location or if they believed they were hitting a regular military base.
The attack on Sdot Micha lasted several hours, and it’s not certain how many Hamas rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome.
Although a spokesman for the IDF hasn’t yet commented on this report, it’s clear from satellite images reinforcements and defenses have now been built around the facility, presumably to protect it from further attack.
As a result of the attacks, a fire broke out at the base which was captured by satellite imagery.
The base is located 25 miles northeast of Gaza and 15 miles west of Jerusalem and was attacked at 10 am on October 7th.
The missile landed in a ravine close to the base and, given the dry grass and vegetation surrounding the Jericho missile facility, a fire broke out following the explosion.