From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Israel’s Arrow 3 has made its 1st-ever interception, downing likely Yemen-fired missile
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
For the first time ever, Israel’s most advanced air defense system, the Arrow 3, made a successful interception of a missile heading for the country’s southernmost city of Eilat, the IDF and the Defense Ministry announce.
The surface-to-surface missile, apparently launched from Yemen, was intercepted by an Arrow 3 missile over the Red Sea.
It marks the first time an Arrow 3 missile has been launched in an operational incident, and the first-ever interception.
Previous interceptions with the Arrow system in recent weeks — a Houthi ballistic missile from Yemen and a long-range rocket from Gaza — were downed using the older Arrow 2 missile.
The Arrow 3 was first deployed in 2017, and it is designed to take out ballistic missiles while they are still outside of the atmosphere.
The Times of Israel Community.