Tel Aviv: The missile launched last Friday (August 22) to hit Israel by the Houthi rebels in Yemen carried a cluster warhead. The Israeli air defence system failed to intercept it.
The IDF spokesman confirmed on Sunday, August 24 that an initial investigation by the Air Force confirms that the missile carried a cluster warhead.
In response, the Israeli air force on Sunday, August 24 attacked targets in Yemen including a power station and the presidential compound.
This is the first time that the Houthis have launched a missile of this type to hit Israel. The missile launched by the Houthis from Yemen contained a warhead with 22 small bombs that explode when they fall from a height. It is the same missile that the Iranians launched in June.
An Israeli senior expert said that the Iranians have developed some types of cluster warheads for their ballistic missiles. “If the interceptor was launched after the cluster bombs have been release the the probability for interception is very low,” the expert added.
At least three types of Iranian ballistic missiles are known to be configured for cluster warheads, including the Khorramshahr and Qader missiles.
The Iranian Khorramshahr-4 missile, in particular, is capable of carrying a payload up to two tons and dispersing dozens of small bomblets (each weighing around 2.5–7 kilograms) over a broad impact area. The bomblets are not precision-guided and are designed to explode on impact.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
