For the first time ever, Israel was pushed to the ends of the Earth last week.Last Tuesday, it was announced that the Arrow missile defense system shot down a ballistic missile for the first time, in this instance fired at Israel by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The IDF stated that air force systems tracked the missile’s trajectory and intercepted it “at the most appropriate operational time and location.”
According to a report in the UK's Daily Telegraph, the missile was intercepted outside of the Earth's atmosphere.
חיל האוויר חושף: יירוט טיל קרקע-קרקע ע"י מערכת ההגנה של טיל "חץ" pic.twitter.com/DDUGsPy4gq
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The operation was the third targeting Israel and there would be more, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement. Saree said the attacks would continue until "Israeli aggression" stopped, referring to the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
After an initial warning of a possible "hostile aircraft intrusion," which sent residents of the tourist resort of Eilat running for shelter last Tuesday, the Israeli military had said its "systems identified an aerial target approaching Israeli territory."
The Arrow system was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in conjunction with the Israeli and US defense establishments and is considered to be among the most advanced technology for defense against ballistic missiles in the world.
Missile intercepted over Negev
Israel's Arrow air defense system also intercepted a Hamas long-range missile launch from Gaza over the Negev desert on Saturday evening.
This was reported to be the first Houthi missile to reach Israeli territory.