Iranian missile that hit Haifa fragmented midair, leading to failed interception, probe finds

By Emanuel Fabian

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6 April 2026, 11:53 am

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Israeli security forces and rescue teams work amid the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

An Israeli Air Force probe has found that the Iranian ballistic missile that struck Haifa yesterday was not intercepted because the missile broke up in the air.

Interceptors fired at the Iranian missile missed because the projectile broke apart and its expected trajectory changed, according to the probe.

A section of the missile, apparently the warhead, struck a residential building in Haifa, causing a partial collapse. However, the warhead did not explode, the investigation found.