Iran shocks with 2,500 km range Sejjil missile to attack Israeli military targets

Long suspected to be in the development stage, Iran has thrown a shocker by unleashing its Sejjil missile on the intervening night of June 18-19 on two military targets in Be’er Sheva, 90 km from Tel Aviv, but whose fragments also hit a nearby hospital.

 

Iran claims that the main target of the attack was the large command and intelligence base of the Israeli army (IDF C4I) and the military intelligence complex in the Gav-Yam technology park, which is located adjacent to the Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.

 

According to an Iranian official claim, the Sejjil has a range of 2,500 km with an error range of just 10 metres. About 18 metres in length, the Sejjil can carry a 700 kg payload.

 

Even after factoring in the propaganda dimension, the unsheathing and use of the missile are indicative of Iran’s significant leap in indigenous missile capabilities.

ALSO READ: Day 6 of war: Iranian missiles target Israeli hospital; IDF pummels 'inactive' Arak nuclear reactor

A statement released by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday said: “The twelfth wave of Operation ‘True Promise 3’ has begun with the launch of ultra-heavy, long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles.”

 

“Sejjil missiles, powered by solid fuel and with long-range capabilities, are among Iran’s most accurate and powerful strategic weapons.”

 

Iran has used the Sejjil for the first time. Capable of Mach 4-5 speeds, it can reach Tel Aviv from Natanz in just about seven minutes.

 

Iran’s use of a multi-stage missile—solid-fueled and liquid-fueled—indicates the potential to develop Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

 

The use of the Sejjil comes amid reports of Iran slowing down the use of its missiles in the ongoing conflict due to “about half” of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers having been destroyed in Israeli attacks.

 

Before the start of the current conflict, Israel was believed to have possessed more than 500 missile launchers.

 

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claims that Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile had also depleted by between 35-45 per cent due to the Israeli attacks. Iran was believed to have possessed about 2,000 ballistic missiles but then what number of missiles Teheran may have hidden in underground bases is anybody’s guess.

Defence