Houthis Fire Ballistic Missile at Tel Aviv; Flew UNDETECTED for 1800km - HIT TARGET
Houthis Fire Ballistic Missile at Tel Aviv; Flew UNDETECTED for 1800km - HIT TARGET
UPDATED *AGAIN* 11:08 AM EDT -- Houthis Fire Ballistic Missile at Tel Aviv; Flew UNDETECTED for 1800km - HIT TARGET
Houthis in Yemen fired a new, undetectable, ballistic missile at Israel, hitting a power plant near Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The missile flew 1800km, was airborne for 15 minutes, flew through Saudi Air Space UNDETECTED, actively evaded Israeli jamming and other defenses, including fighter jets, and struck the power plant it was aimed at.
The distance traveled and the time in the air indicate the missile was flying at an AVERAGE of 7,200 kph.
At about 6:30 AM local time today, (GMT +3:00), Sunday . . .
a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Ansarullah movement impacted in Tel Aviv. The target appeared to be the 'Gezer' power plant, 6 kilometers from Ben Gurion airport. That plant is shown on the scalable map below:
Uncontrollable flames and dark smoke rage at the fuel-operated power plant.
Israelis are in an emotional meltdown, panicking that this missile flew about almost 2,000km for about 15 mins, from Yemen to heart of Israel, evading all country's defense systems, fighter jets, jamming systems, and over airspace of allied Arab countries like Saudi Arabia without being detected by the Saudis or shot down.
Reportedly several interceptors were launched at the missile by Israel's Hetz defense system, but all of them failed. In addition, Over 20 air defense missiles from Israel's ‘Arrow’ and ‘David’s Sling’ systems were fired, but they failed to intercept the Yemeni missile targeting Tel Aviv.” Worse, the missile passed (at least) two American destroyers and a French frigate operating in the Red Sea.
Local Israeli media reports say that around 2 million Israelis sought shelter. The extent of damage and the specific type of missile used remain unknown.
Ansarullah released a statement "Yemen warns Israel and Western enemies of more "Unexpected surprises" in coming days."
The attack is part of Yemen actions to punish Israel for the ongoing Genocide in the Gaza Strip, in which at least thirty-eight-0thousands Gaza men, women, and children, have been slaughtered.
UPDATE 10:53 AM EDT --
Netanyahu threatens to exact heavy price after Houthis in Yemen claim responsibility for missile fired at Israel this morning, IDF is likely updating target list in Yemen at this time.
UPDATE 11:08 AM EDT --
The Houthis likely employed the “Qadr F” variant of Iran’s 20-year-old Qadr-110 or Ghadr-110 medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile.
The missile successfully evaded interception attempts from multiple defense platforms, including the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), and FS Chevalier Paul (D-621), which may have deployed the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3). Additionally, it bypassed Israel's Iron Dome, Arrow-2, and Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile systems.
Why a single 20-year-old Iranian Ghadr-110 (F variant) Missile Wasn't Intercepted Submunition Release Tactic:
The Ghadr-110 F variant, despite being a 20-year-old missile technology, uses a clever strategy to defeat modern missile defenses. Right after its boost phase, it releases submunitions in space, making it incredibly difficult for defense systems to target.
SM-3 Limitations: The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) ship-based surface-to-air missile is one of the few systems capable of intercepting missiles at such high altitudes, but the Ghadr’s early submunition release was designed to outsmart it. SM-3 is optimized for hitting single, intact warheads, not a cloud of smaller submunitions scattered over a wide area.
Arrow 2 and 3 Response: The Arrow-3 likely fired at the empty booster, mistaking it for the main threat. Meanwhile, Arrow-2 may have targeted the submunitions, but dealing with so many dispersed warheads is a challenge even for advanced systems.
Iron Dome's Role: The Iron Dome probably tried to intercept the submunitions, but its focus is on stopping single, direct threats. The dispersed nature of the submunitions, spread across a wide area, made it nearly impossible for Iron Dome to handle.
HAL TURNER REMARKS:
This is amazingly clever missile technology. Clearly the Iranians, Russians, and perhaps North Koreans, have been actively studying our war-making all over the world, for many years.
They seem to have designed a simple solution to get around, or to confuse, our so-called "Smart weapons."
Folks, if it wasn't clear before today, it should be clear now: WE CANNOT DEFEND OURSELVES from these new technologies.
Worse, you've got to know that if these technologies were employed by Iran on 20-year-old missiles, then whatever they -- and the Russians -- have **TODAY** is even more slick.
If we keep fooling around with Ukraine we could be in for a massive butt-kicking by the Russians.
UPDATE 12:35 PM EDT --
Last night, the world changed. Yemen just entered confirmed S-tier missile tech used in combat. Yemen successfully used a hypersonic missile against one of the most heavily defended airspaces in the world: Tel Aviv.
Yemen could have hundreds of them.
NOTHING in Israel is safe.
Saree: Yemen struck Tel Aviv with newly-developed hypersonic missile
The spokesperson for Yemen's Armed Forces says the Yemeni armed forces executed the operation using a new hypersonic ballistic missile, which traveled approximately 2,040 kilometers and hit its target in Tel Aviv.
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree (Screengrab)
The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced on Sunday that a new hypersonic ballistic missile launched from Yemen successfully struck its military target in Tel Aviv.
Saree reported that the Yemeni Armed Forces executed the operation using the new missile, which traveled approximately 2,040 kilometers and hit its target in Tel Aviv within just 11.5 minutes.
Israeli air defense systems failed to intercept the missile, he affirmed.
صاروخ باليستي جديد فرط صوتي استهدف هدفاً عسكرياً مهماً في يافا المحتلة بتاريخ 15-09-2024..
إليكم بيان القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن تنفيذ عملية عسكرية نوعية استهدفت عمق كيان الاحتلال#اليمن #فلسطين_المحتلة pic.twitter.com/MkCzBEsN2h— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) September 15, 2024
The missile launch induced widespread panic among Israeli settlers, with over two million people seeking shelter—marking an unprecedented event in Israeli history.
Saree highlighted that this operation is part of the fifth phase of Yemen's strategic military efforts, showcasing significant advancements in missile technology. He emphasized that these new technologies are designed to bypass all US-Israeli surface and maritime defensive systems.
He further asserted that Yemen will not be deterred by geographical obstacles or the countermeasures of US and UK forces, reiterating Yemen's commitment to its religious, moral, and humanitarian responsibilities in support of the Palestinian people.
Yemeni sources told Al Mayadeen that Yemen will not limit itself to a single target, reaffirming to "Israel" that Yafa [Tel Aviv] is not secure, urging it to take the threat seriously.
The Israeli narrative regarding Yemeni military operations should not be trusted, the sources said.
The same sources told Al Mayadeen that Yemen is preparing for an extended war with "Israel" using multifaceted tactics, and is enhancing its strategic military capabilities with this long-term perspective in mind.
The sources emphasized that Tel Aviv cannot predict the timing or location of upcoming operations.
The Yemeni Army is thoroughly analyzing Israeli defense systems, similar to how it previously assessed the defenses of US vessels in the Red Sea, as per the sources, which said that Yemen has reportedly developed new technology, some of which was used in targeting US vessels that failed to intercept missiles.
Al Mayadeen's sources also noted that Yemen previously executed a precise strike with the Yafa drone, which successfully hit its target, revealing that it will now deploy new weapons against a range of strategic objectives.
In a related context, the sources further noted that "Israel" should no longer rely solely on its defense systems, as Yemen promises that future responses will involve precise, well-planned, strategic, and continuous operations, stressing that the Yemeni Army has committed to delivering on its promises and maintaining a high level of operational surprise.
Houthi Success Swatting Reaper Drones Like Flies Exposes Chinks in US Military's High-Tech Armor
© Photo : Houthi Media Office
Yemen’s Houthi militia has now downed over a quarter billion dollars’ worth of General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers. Sputnik asked a leading regional affairs observer what will happen if the humbling trend continues.
The latest Reaper shootdown took place last Saturday while the drone was carrying out intelligence-gathering activities over Marib province in central Yemen, according to the Houthis. The US military initially refused to confirm the loss, holding out until Friday, when an anonymous DoD official told US state media that an Air Force MQ-9 had been “struck but then landed safely and was recovered by US partner forces on September 9” somewhere in the Middle East.
The Pentagon did not elaborate on where exactly the drone touched down, who recovered it or what shape it was in.
The damaged Reaper is at least the eighth $32 million-apiece US reconnaissance and strike UAV downed by the Houthis since last November.
On August 4, the Houthis blew a Reaper out of the sky over Saada, northwestern Yemen. An informed source told Sputnik the militia used a modernized Soviet 2K12 Kub air defense system to do. The Houthis are known to have adopted the Kub to fire Yemeni-made Fater-1 interceptor missiles.
On May 29, the Houthis destroyed an unmarked Reaper, possibly belonging to the CIA, over Marib, releasing footage of warriors wearing sandals standing on top of the downed drone.
Houthi Warriors brought down another US Reaper Drone.
Some analysts had dismissed the Houthis' ability to take out these highly advanced American pilotless aircraft
This film clarifies the issue. pic.twitter.com/PAsXyt0JdK— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) May 29, 2024
On May 24, the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 over Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.
On May 17, another Reaper was destroyed over Marib.
On April 27, the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 in Sadaa province in northwestern Yemen.
On February 19, a Reaper was destroyed over al-Hudaydah city in western Yemen.
On November 8, 2023, a US Air Force Reaper was downed over the Red Sea somewhere off the Yemeni coast.
The Houthis shot down three additional Reapers between 2017 and 2019, along with an array of other pricey NATO-made weaponry during the US’s attempts to help a Gulf coalition oust the militia from power.
Dangerous Precedent For US MIC
“The downing of yet another drone could negatively impact the reputation of the US military-industrial complex on the international stage. Confidence in the effectiveness of US defense technologies and military power could be undermined. This may lead to potential clients in US military and technology exports becoming concerned about the failures of American products in the field,” political scientist and international affairs observer Dr. Mehmet Rakipoglu told Sputnik, commenting on Washington's Houthi headache.
Politically and strategically, the success of the Houthi anti-drone campaign may undermine the justifications for continued US operations and presence in the region, and even “raise questions about the effectiveness of US power projection policies…potentially threatening Washington’s regional and global strategic interests in the long term,” Rakipoglu, an assistant professor at Turkiye's Mardin Artuklu University, explained.
The US is between a rock and a hard place battling the Houthis, unwilling to become further entangled in a large-scale confrontation for fear of sparking a regional war with their Iranian Axis of Resistance allies, but unable to extract themselves without losing face.
The Houthis have shown that they “have the capacity to counter one of the most advanced technologies” in the US’s arsenal, and can outcompete the Pentagon on costs too, Rakipoglu says.
“The relative cheapness and local production-based equipment used by the Houthis can lead to more losses for the US, [whose] military expenditures run into billions of dollars. This emerges as not only a financial issue but also a strategic one,” according to the academic, raising “questions about the effectiveness of American military spending,” and calling “into question how sustainable it is to rely solely on technological superiority.”
The Houthis' success against the US-led armada assembled against them has proven highly embarrassing for Washington and its allies. On Friday, former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe, admitted the failure of efforts by the West to bring the Yemeni militia to heel.
"They're achieving their ends, all of them, and we're achieving none of ours. We're spending millions and millions of dollars on not winning. It's a real problem," Sharpe said, referencing the Houthi promise to continue their Red Sea blockade until peace is achieved in Gaza