Do the Houthis have more advanced technology than previously thought?
Netanyahu promised the Houthis would pay a “heavy price” for the attack. But beyond the threats of retaliation, the Houthi missile strike has raised serious questions about Israeli defense capabilities.
Why didn’t the interceptor completely destroy the missile? Was there a failure in Israel’s air defense systems? Could it happen again? Do the Houthis have more advanced technology than previously thought? And are we closer to a full-scale war than we realize?
On Sunday, September 15, at 6:21 a.m., a ballistic missile was launched from northwest Yemen. In just 11 minutes, it traveled over 2,000 kilometers before debris fell in an open field near Kfar Daniel, just seven kilometers from Ben-Gurion Airport, at 6:32 a.m. Miraculously, no one was hurt. The Houthi terrorist group, through spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility, stating that the intended target “was a military site in Jaffa.”
Against short-range threats like Hamas rockets, Israel deploys the Iron Dome defense system. But against long-range threats, like ballistic missiles, Israel uses its Arrow anti-ballistic system. Preliminary reports suggest that the Houthi missile was not identified in time. As a result, Israel was unable to target it with its more powerful Arrow 3 system, instead intercepting it with the less potent Arrow 2, which struck the missile but failed to destroy it completely. Iron Dome interceptors neutralized the remaining debris, though this is not its primary function.
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