Arrow not used against Iranian missile that killed nine; other interceptor failed
Officials say system with higher success rate was not deployed as investigation continues.
Security officials said Sunday night that attempts were made to intercept the Iranian missile that struck a residential shelter in Beit Shemesh, but the interceptor missed.
Senior officials later said that the Israeli Air Force did not deploy an Arrow interceptor against the ballistic missile that struck a building in Beit Shemesh, killing nine people. They added that the probability of a successful interception by the Arrow system, considered to have one of the highest success rates in the world against ballistic threats, would have been significantly higher than that of the interceptor launched from another system. An IDF official said several interceptors were fired at the missile but failed to bring it down.
The official stressed that there is no policy limiting the use of interceptors and noted that Iran has so far launched fewer than half the number of missiles it fired during the first two days of Operation Rising Lion. “The air defense array has achieved very high interception rates, but the defense is not hermetic,” the official said, adding that the incident remains under investigation. “A direct hit can penetrate. This underscores the need to address the surface-to-surface missile threat. It is a real existential threat.”
The direct hit killed at least nine people and wounded 51, marking the deadliest single incident since the start of Operation Roaring Lion.
The blast collapsed the roof of the shelter and nearly destroyed eight homes in the compound. Emergency crews, Home Front Command units and fire services continued working at the scene.
On the broader campaign, security officials said Israel is expanding strikes against Iran’s Basij militia and what they described as the regime’s internal repression apparatus.
“We will strike all mechanisms of repression and the entire industry that feeds the Iranian regime with weapons,” officials said. “This is not a one-day or two-day operation. It will take time.”
