Iran has fired 400 missiles at Israel, 92% intercepted since start of war: Israeli military

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Jerusalem – Israel’s military said on March 22 that Iran had fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, with around 92 per cent of them intercepted.

The figures were announced a day after Iranian missiles struck two towns in southern Israel, leaving around 175 people needing medical treatment.

“Iran has fired over 400 ballistic missiles. We have had great interception rates. We have approximately a 92 per cent successful interception rate,” Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

One of the towns hit on March 21 was Dimona, widely believed to hold Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal.

The impact of the missile was just 5km from the town’s nuclear facility.

The other nearby town to be hit was Arad, which saw extensive damage to several buildings.

Lieutenant-Colonel Shoshani said the missiles fired on March 21 were “not different from ballistic missiles” and that there had now only been four direct hits during the war so far.

The Israeli military has said it will investigate the failure to intercept the incoming fire on March 21.

“We have intercepted in the past and will intercept in the future,” Lt-Col Shoshani said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that March 21 was a “very difficult evening” and urged residents to head to protection centres whenever sirens blare.

On March 22, he visited Arad, where he vowed to continue pursuing top Iranian officials.

“We are going after the IRGC (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards), this criminal gang,” Mr Netanyahu told journalists at the site.

“We’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them personally.”

One man was wounded on March 22 in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv in what local media said was a blast from a cluster munition. AFP