Israeli air base damaged in Iranian missile attack, satellite images suggest

Satellite images suggest possible damage to Israel Air Force’s Ramat David airbase after Iranian missile attack.

By World Israel News Staff

Satellite imagery published after Iran’s latest missile attacks on Israel appears to show possible damage at Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel, though the extent of any damage has not been confirmed by the military.

The images were taken on June 8 by the European Commission’s Sentinel-2 satellite system and show a new discolored patch in an area where a hangar is located at the base.

The imagery is low resolution, making it difficult to determine whether the patch reflects a direct hit, debris, repair work, fire damage or another change at the site.

The possible strike was first flagged online by the satellite-imagery account Soar Atlas, which compared June 8 imagery with images from June 5. The comparison appeared to show a change at a hangar area of the air base, located near Migdal Ha’emek in northern Israel.

The IDF did not respond to requests from multiple news outlets for clarification.

Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday night and Monday morning, many of them aimed at northern Israel.

Iran’s military claimed that it struck Ramat David on Sunday.

According to Israeli reports, Iran fired roughly two dozen ballistic missiles during the latest round. The IDF said all missiles fired Sunday night were intercepted, while many of those launched Monday were also shot down.

The suspected damage, if confirmed, would mark another case in which open-source satellite imagery has been used to assess the results of missile strikes on Israeli military infrastructure. Israel generally restricts publication of some details about damage to military bases, and officials often avoid confirming the precise locations of impacts.

Ramat David is one of the Israeli Air Force’s key northern bases and has long been considered a potential target for Iranian-backed forces. The base normally hosts F-16 fighter squadrons and drone units. Hezbollah has also highlighted the base in past propaganda videos and claimed to have targeted it during earlier rounds of fighting.

The latest imagery follows previous reports that Ramat David was hit during earlier fighting with Iran. Satellite images published last month appeared to show two impact areas at the base during Operation Roaring Lion, including one area reportedly used for support vehicles and equipment and another used for aircraft refueling and service.