After days of ever-increasing alarm from authorities around the world, Iran unleashed an attack against Israel on the night between Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April (live live here).
Here’s what we know, at the moment, about the methods of this attack.
The synchronized and concentric attack
According to the Israeli army, hundreds of drones and missiles were launched – in at least three waves.
Sources linked to the so-called “Axis of resistance” formed by pro-Iranian armed groups (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Hash al Shabi), cited by Al Arabiya, claimed that Tehran’s attack, called the “Promise of Truth”, was is composed of three phases:
1. the launch of drones from Iran;
2. the launch of drones and missiles from the axis countries, namely Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, to put Israeli air defense systems in difficulty;
3. the launch of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
In other words, it was about a synchronized attack«concentric»: the attempt was to completely saturate Israeli interception capabilities, with different instruments, launched at different times, which move at different speeds and have different destructive capabilities, but which they arrived on Israeli territory in a very narrow time window.
Missiles and drones have arrived throughout Israel: explosions were heard and reported, among other things, both over the skies of Tel Aviv and over Jerusalem.
The objectives
The manner of the attack was expected: Iran concentrated its kamikaze drones and long-range missiles on military sites – especially the Golan Heights. Israeli sources at the New York Times also list air bases in the Negev, southern Israel, as targets.
According to Tehran, Iranian missiles hit a base in the Negev, causing “extensive damage”. There is currently no confirmation on this point from Israel.
The kamikaze drone
As for drones, Iran would have fielded the HESA Shahed 136, a “suicide drone” built by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation (HESA).
In service since 2021, this weapon, also known by its Russian name Geran-2, was designed to hit ground targets, evading air defenses, in a radius of about 2500 kilometers from the launch site.
Their most massive use was that carried out by Russian ground forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on February 24, 2022.
The aircraft is approximately 3.5 meters long; its wingspan reaches 2.5 meters at the rear.
Weighing around 200 kilos, of which 50 are made up of the explosives carried, the Shahed 136 is capable of flying for 2500 kilometers at a maximum speed of 185 kilometers per hour.
