Israel-Iran Tensions: Here are nine lethal missiles Tehran can use against Israel, US

Israel and its allies remain braced for an attack following a deadly air strike that killed several people including two Iranian generals on April 1. US President Joe Biden warned on Friday that retaliatory action could occur “sooner rather than later" and many countries have warned against travel to the region. Potential scenarios included an unprecedented drone and missile strike on Israeli territory. 

Reports suggest that Iran and its proxies in Lebanon and Syria could use high precision missiles and drones to target Israel within the next couple of days. US intelligence suggests that Tehran will strike multiple targets within Israel as well as the surrounding region. Local media reports had recently indicated that Iran possessed nine missiles that can reach Israel. 

The semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA had published a graphic highlighting the many weapons at the country's disposal soon after the Syrian embassy attack. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence suggests that Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region. It is also a major producer of drones, and has reportedly also moved some of its missile production capacity to underground compounds in Syria.

What are these weapons?

• The ‘Sejil’ is capable of flying at more than 17,000 km per hour and has a range of 2,500 km. It can deliver a payload of around 700 kilograms.
• The ‘Kheibar’ or Khorramshahr-4 has with a range of 2,000 km and is capable of carrying a 1,500-kilogram warhead.

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• The ‘Haj Qasem’ has a range of 1,400 km. It is named after Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani who was killed during a US drone strike in Baghdad four years ago. 
• Shahab-1 was first created in the 1980s and served as the foundation of Iran's short-range missile program. Since then there have been several iterations including the liquid-propelled medium-range Shahab-3 which has an estimated range of 800-1,000 km. 
• Emad-1 is a derivative of Shahab-3 and the country's first precision-guided, long range surface to surface ballistic missile. It can reportedly carry can carry a 750 kg payload with a range up to 2,000 km.

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• Cruise missiles such as Kh-55 also feature in Iran's arsenal. The air-launched nuclear-capable weapon has a range of up to 3,000 km.
• The Khalid Farzh is an advanced anti-ship missile with a range of about 300 km. It is capable of carrying a 1,000-kg warhead.
• Iran presented its ‘first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile’ last June. Officials said that the precision-guided Fattah “has a range of 1,400 km and it is capable of penetrating all defence shields". Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and on a complex trajectory, which makes them difficult to intercept.
• Iran also said that it had built an advanced homemade drone last year. Mohajer-10 has an operational range of 2,000 km and is capable of flying for up to 24 hours with a payload of up to 300 kg.

Israel-Iran Tensions — Follow LIVE updates

(With inputs from agencies)

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Published: 13 Apr 2024, 10:24 PM IST