Matan Yanko-Avikasis and Liran Antebi
INSS Insight No. 1789, Nov. 22, 2023
“… the launch of a ballistic missile by a non-state actor highlights the change in the proliferation of advanced technology and long-range, lethal weapons.”
The Swords of Iron war has seen a variety of weapons used against Israel, including aerial weapons, such as: ballistic and cruise missiles; rockets; mortar shells; anti-tank missiles; intelligence-gathering and suicide UAVs; and drones for intelligence, guides, arms and ammunition drops, and suicide missions. A large proportion of these weapons are manufactured by Iran or are based on Iranian technology; the people operating them were trained by Iran to use, assemble, and maintain these weapons. How should Israel deal with this threat?
On October 18, 2023, Iranian television reported about the nature of a multi-front attack, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying the forces of opposition could not be held back if the war continued. Indeed, in the weeks since the Hamas attack of October 7, Israel has come under attack not only from the Gaza Strip. There have been missiles and suicide UAVs launched at Israel from Yemen by the Houthi rebels, which are an Iranian proxy; rockets, anti-tank missiles, UAVs, and drones launched from Lebanon, and even an explosive-laden UAV launched from Syrian territory, which hit Eilat. Behind all of these, in various ways, is Iran.
Israel’s aerial defense system has provided an excellent response to these threats. Most of the launches have been intercepted. and thus far, among the most lethal weapons (apart from the October 7 attack itself) have been the anti-tank missiles fired at Israel from both the Gaza Strip and from Lebanon. Their damage has somewhat colored the confidence in Trophy, Israel’s active protection system for armored vehicle, installed on tanks and armored personnel carriers and which has an extremely high rate of successful interceptions. The system was even sold recently to the United Kingdom.
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