Commentary | IDF Concealing Failed Interception of Cruise Missile Fired at Eilat
This was a guided missile launch – not a ballistic missile following a known trajectory. Therefore, how did the IDF know that the guided missile was going to fall in an open area?
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 20/03/2024
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Yesterday (Tuesday), the IDF declared in a statement that the “aerial target” that fell north of the city of Eilat on Sunday night was a guided missile, which came from the direction of the Red Sea, and fell in an open area.
“The target was tracked by Air Force units. There are no casualties and no damage was caused. The incident is under investigation," the statement concluded.
From this statement, we learn that the event in which the missile was launched toward Israel occurred two days earlier - on Sunday. The IDF spokesperson decided to conceal the event from the public for some reason.
How can a cruise missile be intercepted? Well, there are several methods. It can be done by a fighter jet with an air-to-air missile or through an anti-aircraft defense system such as the Iron Dome or the David's Sling missile defense system. In the case in question, the IDF confirmed that no interception was carried out toward the target.
I inquired the IDF whether an interception was deliberately not conducted, as part of a policy of not intercepting threats towards open areas, but as of yet, no reply has been provided.
The IDF claims that the threat was under surveillance. What does that mean? Well, you can track a missile with a fighter jet or with a ground-based radar. Every air defense battery has one of those.
How was the threat tracked? If it was done using a ground-based radar, wasn’t there an interception attempt? Was there a malfunction? And if it was a fighter jet that tracked the threat – why wasn't an air-to-air missile launched?
Another question. This concerns a guided missile launch and not a ballistic missile following a known trajectory. Therefore, how did the IDF exactly know that the guided missile was going to fall into an open area? How does the IDF even generate an interception polygon for a guided missile?
In summary, it is extremely difficult to predict where a guided missile will hit. The IDF's claim, in this case, is not credible, and the concealment from the public (from Sunday to Tuesday) further raises the assumption that there was an operational failure here.
What is this supposed failure? We will wait for the IDF to answer.
This was a guided missile launch – not a ballistic missile following a known trajectory. Therefore, how did the IDF know that the guided missile was going to fall in an open area?
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Yesterday (Tuesday), the IDF declared in a statement that the “aerial target” that fell north of the city of Eilat on Sunday night was a guided missile, which came from the direction of the Red Sea, and fell in an open area.
“The target was tracked by Air Force units. There are no casualties and no damage was caused. The incident is under investigation," the statement concluded.
From this statement, we learn that the event in which the missile was launched toward Israel occurred two days earlier - on Sunday. The IDF spokesperson decided to conceal the event from the public for some reason.
How can a cruise missile be intercepted? Well, there are several methods. It can be done by a fighter jet with an air-to-air missile or through an anti-aircraft defense system such as the Iron Dome or the David's Sling missile defense system. In the case in question, the IDF confirmed that no interception was carried out toward the target.
I inquired the IDF whether an interception was deliberately not conducted, as part of a policy of not intercepting threats towards open areas, but as of yet, no reply has been provided.
The IDF claims that the threat was under surveillance. What does that mean? Well, you can track a missile with a fighter jet or with a ground-based radar. Every air defense battery has one of those.
How was the threat tracked? If it was done using a ground-based radar, wasn’t there an interception attempt? Was there a malfunction? And if it was a fighter jet that tracked the threat – why wasn't an air-to-air missile launched?
Another question. This concerns a guided missile launch and not a ballistic missile following a known trajectory. Therefore, how did the IDF exactly know that the guided missile was going to fall into an open area? How does the IDF even generate an interception polygon for a guided missile?
In summary, it is extremely difficult to predict where a guided missile will hit. The IDF's claim, in this case, is not credible, and the concealment from the public (from Sunday to Tuesday) further raises the assumption that there was an operational failure here.
What is this supposed failure? We will wait for the IDF to answer.
