Missile fragment damages home in Jerusalem suburb, comes after previous Houthi missile attack hours earlier.

By World Israel News Staff

A ballistic missile launched by the Houthis at central Israel in the early hours of Tuesday morning sent millions of Israelis scrambling for shelter, with 11 people sustaining injuries while running to protected areas.

Sirens sounded in the major cities of Tel Aviv, Modi’in, and Lod, as well as the Jerusalem area and Ben-Gurion Airport, at around 3 a.m.

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency response organization reported that 11 people throughout the country had been hurt while making their way to bomb shelters.

Another four people were treated by MDA paramedics for acute anxiety.

Images circulating on social media showed missile fragments that struck the roof of a home in Mevo Beitar, a Jerusalem suburb, causing damage.

“When we went out for our usual morning walk we saw broken tiles, it was only when we looked up did we see a missile on our roof,” Michal Wexler, the owner of the home, told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.

“It’s not the smallest part [of the missile] but we did not hear anything really unusual in the night,” she added.

Wexler and her family were not injured in the incident.

The IDF said it had made several attempts to intercept the missile as it reached Israeli airspace.

Hours earlier, on Monday evening, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile that caused sirens to sound in northern Israel’s Afula area and throughout the Samaria region.

No one was reported to be injured in that launch, which was intercepted by the IDF.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have stepped up their attacks against Israel, lobbing dozens of explosive drones and missiles at the Jewish State.

The Houthis have claimed that they will continue attacking Israel as long as the IDF is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It’s unclear if a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group would end the Houthis’ attacks on the Jewish State.

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The cannon can reportedly shoot a staggering 6,000 rounds in just one minute, and has six 20mm barrels.

By World Israel News Staff

Hezbollah terrorists have launched hundreds of explosive drones at Israeli communities and military targets over the past year of fighting.

Drones have proved a particularly tricky target for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system to intercept, as the UAVs fly at low altitudes – oftentimes, literally under the radar.

Earlier in October, an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, underscoring the threat posed by this new type of warfare.

Just days before that incident, a suicide UAV struck a Golani Brigade training base in northern Israel, killing four soldiers.

But according to reports, Israel has now deployed a new weapon aimed at curbing the Hezbollah drone threat.

The M61 Vulcan cannon is now operational along Israel’s northern border, according to Hebrew-language outlet Ma’ariv.

The cannon can reportedly shoot a staggering 6,000 rounds in just one minute, and has six 20mm barrels.

While this particular cannon was manufactured by the Israeli Tamar Group, an older version of the M61 Vulcan was originally provided to Israel by the U.S. during the 1967 Yom Kippur War.

However, Israel only began using the cannon during the 1982 First Lebanon War.

According to Ma’ariv, the efficacy of the Vulcan cannon is unclear. Due to the hilly terrain of the northern border region, some IDF officials are concerned that the weapon may not be able to effectively shoot down drones.

Several weeks ago, the Ministry of Defense issued an unusual statement calling on Israeli weapons manufacturers and technology companies to create or suggest a solution that can improve the IDF’s ability to intercept UAVs.

“The Israel Air Force has not built a proper force to deal with drone threats on such a large scale, despite the significant successes in the North,” a senior reserve officer recently told Walla.

“It’s a fundamental issue. We ended up in a situation where four fighter jets and a missile ship – at best – are chasing one drone.”

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Iran seems particularly concerned about the U.S. deploying the THAAD anti-ballistic missile advanced air defense system to Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

As Iran girds for an expected Israeli retaliatory strike following Tehran’s unprecedented launch of some 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state, an Iranian official warned Washington against helping defend Israel.

“The US has been delivering record amount of arms to Israel. It is now also putting lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate US missile systems in Israel,” wrote Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on his official X account on Sunday.

“While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests,” he added.

Fears in Iran are growing that Israel is gearing up to strike the country’s nuclear facilities or oil assets, though some media reports have suggested that Israel will avoid those sensitive targets.

CNN reported that Iran’s leadership are “extremely nervous” about the Israeli retaliation, which could also potentially see the assassinations of senior officials, such as the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

Iran seems particularly concerned about the U.S. deploying the THAAD anti-ballistic missile advanced air defense system to Israel.

It’s likely that Tehran in planning to respond to an Israeli strike with yet another barrage of ballistic missiles, and the use of THAAD would likely greatly limit the efficacy of such an attack.

Saudi outlet Ashaq Al-Awsat recently reported that Iran is prepared to ignore a “limited” Israeli strike, but that attacks on its nuclear or oil facilities would be crossing a “red line.”

The report indicated that Iran’s message to Israel is that it will turn a blind eye to a minor strike, and will not respond despite its repeated threats to do so.

However, damage to Iran’s oil or nuclear assets would necessitate a forceful response, the outlet reported Iran as telling Israel through third parties.

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100 U.S. soldiers to operate advanced anti-ballistic missile system on Israel soil, ahead of potential Iranian attack.

By World Israel News Staff

The U.S. officially confirmed that it will transfer an advanced anti-ballistic missile air defense system to Israel, as well as deploy some 100 American troops to the Jewish state in order to operate the system.

“At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” read a media statement attributed to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” Ryder added.

“It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”

The statement noted that this is not the first time that the U.S. has authorized the use of THAAD in the region, referencing a joint exercise between the U.S. and Israel in 2019 during which the system was activated. More recently, the U.S. deployed a THAAD to the Middle East immediately following the October 7th Hamas onslaught, though the statement did not specify exactly where the system had been transferred.

According to a Ynet report, the THAAD placed in Israel will be able to receive critical information from other THAAD systems in the region, including in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The decision to provide Israel with THAAD may indicate that Washington is anticipating a major Israeli strike on Iran, which would be met with significant retaliation by the Islamic Republic.

On October 1st, Tehran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, in what is believed to be one of the largest aerial attacks of its kind in history.

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American soldiers may be deployed to Israel to supervise use of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system, in light of threats from Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States may soon provide Israel with an advanced air defense system, a U.S. official confirmed after numerous media outlets published reports about the potential transfer.

Speaking to the Times of Israel, an unnamed American official said that the Biden administration is seriously considering sending Israel the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which is specifically focused on ballistic missiles.

Iran recently targeted Israel with a barrage of some 200 ballistic missiles in what is believed to be one of the largest attacks of its kind in history.

But the decision to provide THAAD would be particularly significant due to the fact that U.S. soldiers would need to be deployed to Israel in order to operate the system.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, Washington is still weighing up the options of such a decision. Placing American troops on Israeli soil is likely to spark controversy and may prove especially problematic to the Democratic party, in light of intense anti-Israel sentiment among the far-left wing of the Democratic party ahead of the presidential election next month.

The deployment of THAAD in Israel could also provide insight into American predictions regarding an Israeli strike on Iran and Iran’s retaliation.

Following the missile barrage earlier in October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran had “made a big mistake” by launching the attack. Though most of the missiles were intercepted, several struck military bases in Israel, causing damage. The IDF said that the impacts did not compromise the military’s normal operations.

Netanyahu added that Iran would “pay the price” for the aerial assault, later hinting in a speech addressing the Iranian people that Israel may target the Islamic Republic’s leadership.

The Biden administration has repeatedly pressured Israel not to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities or oil fields, but sending THAAD to Israel could mean that the Americans expect Israel will launch a powerful attack that will result in significant retaliation from Iran.

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The use of UAVs by Iranian-backed militias is part of a broader strategy to exploit asymmetrical warfare techniques and keep Israeli air defenses busy.

By Yaakov Lappin, JNS

Iranian-backed Shi’ite terrorist militias in Syria and Iraq are consistently using long-range unmanned aerial vehicles to target Israel’s Red Sea city of Eilat on a regular basis.

These UAVs, launched from bases in areas where Iran has entrenched itself, represent a persistent threat to Israeli security and will require more than defensive action to neutralize.

On Saturday, two UAVs approached the area north of Eilat from Syrian territory. The Israel Defense Forces intercepted the drones before they could inflict any damage, according to the military.

In retaliation, the IDF launched strikes overnight Sunday against a Syrian military command center and infrastructure sites, including targets used by the Syrian military’s Aerial Defense Unit.

It is possible that the sites hit by Israel in Syria were also used by Hezbollah, which has for years entrenched itself within Syrian military positions near Israel.

Israel’s policy of holding the Syrian regime accountable for all terrorist attacks emanating from its territory is logical but will not actually remove the threatening capabilities. Only Israeli strikes on the Shi’ite terrorist entities themselves in Syria and Iraq will do that.

Iran has been activating its militias in Syria and Iraq against Israel, as well as the Houthis in Yemen, since the start of the current war, as part of a multi-front assault.

On March 31, a UAV launched from Iraq entered Israeli airspace via Jordan and caused light damage to a naval base building in Eilat. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (al-Moqawamat al-Islamiat fi al-Iraq) claimed responsibility for that attack, describing it as a strike on a “vital target” in Israel.

The use of UAVs by Iranian-backed militias is part of a broader strategy to exploit asymmetrical warfare techniques and keep Israeli air defenses busy.

This is all happening as Iran’s chief regional terrorist army, Hezbollah, rains down UAVs, rockets and anti-tank missiles on northern Israel, and absorbs Israeli fire in response.

Low-cost, high-impact

UAVs provide Iranian proxies with a low-cost, high-impact means of striking targets within Israel. They often fly at low altitude to try and evade detection by radar systems, and travel long distances, as was the case in the September 2019 attack on two major Saudi oil installations.

That attack involved UAVs fired, according to American assessments, from Iran, and traveling long and indirect routes to their targets in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis later claimed responsibility for those attacks, likely to try and cover up Iran’s decision to launch the drones itself.

The latest drone attacks from Syria and Iraq indicate a coordinated Iranian effort to create a multi-front threat against Israel, one that, without a direct offensive response, will only grow, irrespective of the nature of the Syrian regime’s complicity, whether active or passive.

Iranian terrorist militias, equipped with increasingly sophisticated UAV technology provided by Iranian defense industries, pose a direct threat not only to Israel but to Sunni Arab countries as well, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The IDF’s interception of the UAVs near Eilat demonstrates the effectiveness of Israel’s world-leading multi-layered air defense systems, which include the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems.

Israel may have to adopt new capabilities as well, such as radar-guided cannon, to help take on larger drone swarms, which appear to be only a matter of time.

The new Israeli Iron Beam laser cannons can provide a valuable and cheap layer of local defense.

But Israel cannot disregard the need for consistent offense.

In Syria, Iran maintains thousands of Shi’ite terrorists as it tries to build a new army there, such as the Fatemiyoun Brigade Afghan Shi’ite militia and the Zainebiyoun Brigade Pakistani Shi’ite militia.

These forces are equipped, trained, and activated directly by the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Meanwhile, it is the IRGC’s own Aerospace Force that fires drones and missiles directly from Iranian territory, including at Israel on April 14 this year and during the 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which said it was behind the March 31 Eilat attack, is an umbrella organization composed of several Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, including Kata’ib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhadaa.

These groups operate both in Iraq and Syria under IRGC command.

The build-up of these militias has accelerated in recent years, even as reports on occasional airstrikes against them have surfaced.

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