Iran initiated a series of attacks on Israel late Saturday, using a large number of drones and missiles. Experts have noted that the weapons used in this attack were more advanced compared to what Israel had faced during the previous six months of conflict with Hamas and other groups in the region.
Israel had previously dealt with aerial attacks from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who primarily used rockets with shorter ranges. However, the weapons used by Iran on Saturday had significantly longer ranges and higher speeds. Despite this, Israel reported intercepting most of the missiles and drones, with assistance from U.S. forces.
The attack on Saturday involved 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles, launched from Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. Analysts like Fabian Hinz and Jeffrey Lewis have identified the specific types of missiles used by Iran, including the Paveh 351 cruise missile with a range of over 1,200 miles.
Iran’s arsenal includes long-range missiles, drones, and air defenses. They are considered to have one of the largest ballistic missile and drone inventories in the Middle East and are expanding their arms export globally.
Following previous attacks, Israel requested more precision-guided munitions and interceptors from the United States to enhance its defense capabilities. Israel’s current weapons arsenal includes missiles with a high failure rate.
