Latest news with #IronDome
CNBC
an hour ago
- Business
- CNBC
Investing in Space: Iron Dome's performance could be Golden Dome's opportunity
Israel and Iran resumed fire exchanges at the end of last week, and space and defense enthusiasts have been following the fusillades. Front and center has been the use of drones in this new leg of the conflict and the health of Israel's infamous Iron Dome missile defense system, as it fought off a barrage of drones and missiles. There's an inevitable connection: the Iron Dome's currently doing the job in Israel that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to get done at home through the proposed Golden Dome multi-layered missile defense system — a costly $175 billion concept so cutting edge that lawmakers and analysts have often questioned its viability. On one hand, you have the Congressional Budget Office warning that the project could cost as much as $542 billion. On the other, space and defense companies are chomping at the bit to fast-track Trump's ambitions from executively ordered vision to satellite-touting reality before the 2029 end of his term. "The performance of Israel's multi-tiered missile defense system underscores the urgent need to strengthen U.S. missile defenses. Thus far, Israeli missile defense inventories have kept up with the Iranian threat — buying decisionmakers valuable time to not just defend the goal but to score some," Patrycja Bazylczyk, research associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, told CNBC by email. "U.S. policymakers should view this as a nod towards the importance of building inventories well before the fight, in the event of a missile attack from either Russia or China, we will be facing far more complex, and numerous salvos," she added. Like a Hollywood revenant, Golden Dome rose from the ashes of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative — nicknamed "Star Wars" — that died a long death to a string of arguments over tech obstacles, steep price tags and the potential to kick off a new arms race with the Soviet Union. Unsurprisingly, Russia and China have been the starkest foreign detractors of Golden Dome, which sets out to defend the vast spread of the U.S. homeland from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles through a web of satellites, sensors and interceptors. The timing isn't ideal — both superpowers doth protest too much at a point when the major arms control deal between Washington and Moscow, the New START treaty, is set to lapse next year without a successor, while U.S. talks on a similar topic with Beijing were suspended in 2024. Within the industry, Golden Dome looks like a mighty fine bone thrown to private space companies faced with severe budget cuts at key U.S. space contractor NASA. For the past few months, defense and space businesses have been vying for a slice of the project's pie, especially after Elon Musk's recent public feud with Trump left SpaceX's potential role in the scheme under question. Take a look at the Paris Air Show — a sprawling affair enveloping Le Bourget Airport in the northeast of the French capital every two years. Around 45% of this year's show is offering a stage to defense and security this year, and the likes of U.S. defense and aerospace manufacturer LockHeed Martin and Boeing used the platform to tout their Golden Dome credentials. "We clearly have a whole number of product lines that will contribute very well, that are going to fit very well with what is necessary to achieve the mission," Lockheed Martin President of Missiles and Fire Control Tim Cahill said, according to Reuters. Golden Dome's progressing, but time will tell if it's here to stay. On June 10, two Republican members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Dale W. Strong (AL-05) and Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) announced the formation of a Golden Dome Caucus that will work closely with the Senate's own initiative, in a bid to back Trump's plans. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the draft of its fiscal 2026 defense spending bill that features a cool $831.5 billion top spend line — and a $13 billion allocation for "missile defense and space programs to augment and integrate in support of the Golden Dome effort." That's a respective $8.8 billion and $4.1 billion for missile defense and space programs backing the project, in the fine print. Don't worry, there's a deal to be had: Trump's reassured Canada it can skip a newly upped $71 billion fee to enjoy Golden Dome's benefits — if it just becomes part of the United States. Even better, Washington could end up a trendsetter across the Atlantic. "I don't know about the Golden Dome in the U.S. and so forth, but I do believe that we have to create an integrated … missile defense system, also in the European perspective, and there are initiatives going in that direction," Micael Johansson, CEO of Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab, told CNBC's Charlotte Reed at the Paris Air Show. "We have to have a European setup around that, and we have that capability with all the companies in Europe."
IOL News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Israel, Iran Conflict: Peace is a Fantasy When Faced With a War Machine Addicted to Dominance
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men inspect the damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on June 16, 2025. Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early on June 16, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation. Image: JOHN WESSELS / AFP) Dr. Reneva Fourie Israel has gone completely rogue, making it the greatest threat to world peace. Having all but obliterated Gaza, it is now turning its aggression towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is defiantly responding with its Iron Dome penetrating Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles. Defiance is a characteristic of most in West Asia. Its people have paid dearly for daring to assert their political independence, safeguard their resources, and give their support to Palestine. The cost has been staggering: millions of lives lost – victims of Western-instigated wars cloaked in the language of human rights, democracy, and counterterrorism. Over the past few months, that same machinery of destruction has intensified its focus on Gaza. Israel, the United States' key proxy in the region, has unleashed devastation on a shocking scale. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred with impunity. It began when Hamas, the governing party of Gaza and a key component of the Palestinian liberation movement, launched an attack in response to Israel's decades of repression. What followed was not proportional 'defence'. It was genocide. Civilians – mostly women and children – were annihilated or buried under rubble. Survivors were starved and denied clean water. Humanitarian aid was blocked, hospitals were bombed, and neighbourhoods were razed. While the world fixated on hostages taken by Hamas – many of whom were later killed by Israel's indiscriminate bombings – the real humanitarian catastrophe was being ignored. Israel detained thousands, including children, and subjected them to systematic torture and sexual violence as it continued its military rampage, emboldened by unconditional US and European support. International outcry, court rulings by the ICJ, and arrest warrants from the ICC were brushed aside. Nothing could stop the West's killing spree; not law, not diplomacy, not conscience. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ But Israel's aggression extends beyond Gaza and the West Bank. It has steadily eroded Syrian sovereignty, assassinating Iranian advisors who were legally assisting the Syrian government. Together with the US and Turkey, Israel facilitated regime change in Syria, deposing the elected Ba'ath Party in favour of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an extremist outfit with little public legitimacy. Hezbollah, an unwavering defender of Palestine, saw key members of its leadership wiped out and much of southern Lebanon reduced to rubble under Israeli bombs. And then there is Yemen. When Ansar Allah declared solidarity with the Palestinians, their resistance was met with significant military force. The US, unashamedly, used its might to pummel one of the poorest nations in the world. At the heart of Western aggression lies Iran – a country that has shown enormous restraint in the face of years of provocation, assassination, and sabotage. Its military and political leaders have been murdered, not on battlefields, but in targeted killings. Its scientists – brilliant minds working to advance nuclear energy for peaceful medical and industrial purposes – have been gunned down simply for daring to dream of self-sufficiency. A Palestinian man carries a wounded child in Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip after the area was targeted by an Israeli strike, on June 17, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Image: Eyad BABA / AFP Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology is not a prelude to war. It is an assertion of dignity. Its nuclear programme powers homes, fuels hospitals, and propels research in oncology and aerospace fields. Yet that progress has become a threat to the West, not because of its military potential, but because it symbolises independence, ingenuity, and resilience. Washington cannot tolerate a West Asian power that surpasses it in science or dares to challenge its monopoly on influence. It is conveniently ignoring the reality of Iran's nuclear programme, elevating its military capability above civilian use. Ironically, the US, as well as Israel, apartheid South Africa and others, produced significant nuclear military capability during the Cold War era. Although Israel has not confirmed or denied having nuclear weapons, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that Israel possessed 90 nuclear warheads in 2024. However, some analysts suggest a maximum of 300 warheads using the estimated amounts of fissile material. Furthermore, Israel possesses three types of delivery systems for military use of nuclear weapons: F-15 aircraft, ground-based missile installations, and German Dolphin I and II class submarines. While democratic South Africa willingly signed and complied with treaties containing prohibitions on participating in nuclear weapon activities, Israel and the US are escaping accountability. In 2024, it was estimated that the US had 1,770 active nuclear warheads, 1,938 stored as reserves, and 1,336 that were retired and pending dismantlement. It is the US that reneged on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on nuclear programmes with Iran, and it is the US that betrayed the current nuclear negotiation efforts. History is being repeated. The US plays a double game – stalling negotiations while equipping Israel with the intelligence, weapons, and diplomatic cover to strike Iranian assets. Just as the US and allied forces invaded Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of disarming its non-existing weapons of mass destruction, Israel launched an unprovoked missile attack on Iran on 13 June. International law is failing. It has become a selective tool, weaponised against the weak and ignored by the powerful. The principles of sovereignty, justice, and human rights lie in tatters as the US-Israel-Europe axis champions their compulsive fixation on warfare, dominance, and aggression. Reason no longer applies. Appeals to humanity fall on deaf ears. The corpses of children, the wails of mothers, and the ruins of ancient cities are met with silence, or worse, justification. Iran, like many in the Global South, has drawn its conclusions. Civilians died. Hundreds were wounded. Iran responded with precision – as allowed under international law – but was met with more indiscriminate Israeli bombing. Once again, innocent lives are the collateral damage. As the US-Israel-Europe axis enforces the logic of war, Iran has accepted reality. The only way to avoid destruction and the blatant move towards regime change is to resist. Diplomacy is worthless when the other side bargains in bad faith. Peace is a fantasy when faced with a war machine addicted to dominance. Iran has no choice but to mobilise its full military capacity. The fire that was ignited in Ukraine has now expanded to West Asia. A new front has opened, and Iran will not fight it with half-measures. This moment is a wake-up call for the Muslim world and, indeed, for all oppressed countries and for the anti-imperialist peoples of the world. As Ayatollah Khamenei warned, 'The Zionist regime won't bring security for any government.' Those states collaborating with Israel in hopes of American favour are deluding themselves. The West respects no ally; it respects only obedience. You are discarded or destroyed when you cease serving their interests. The solution lies not in appeasement but in self-reliance. The only protection against bullying is economic, military, and cultural strength. Domestic manufacturing must rise. Regional alliances with proven partners must be deepened. Nations that have weathered sanctions, sabotage, and siege understand the value of loyalty. Those are the partnerships worth investing in. The people of West Asia deserve peace. They deserve to preserve their history, teach their children without fear of bombs, and build a future rooted in dignity and sovereignty. But peace cannot come from pleading with aggressors. Sometimes, unfortunately, it must be sought through force. I share a poem written by Gail Van Breda in honour of my son, Sebastian, who died in a motorbike accident in Simonstown on 4 June. I, in turn, dedicate it to the people of West Asia. Let us not crash, too many deaths. How can we breathe, when breath ended for our loved ones. Let us not crash, too many voices gone silent, all at one time Let us not to crash, because how much more can this body take. We have to absorb so much. Let us not crash, because the living must now adjust to this new reality Let us not crash, let us not fall apart, How do we keep all together to grieve, loud or in silence. Let us not crash, where is our hope, what can we hold on to, what would make this time of mourning better, how are we expected to get through this! Let us not crash, maybe join hands, to keep this life together Let us not crash, let us not fall apart Because this life is teaching us how to die. We have been dying. The walking dead. Let us not crash, because we know, this life is not forever Cry, feel, let us not crash Let us find comfort. But I don't know from where, because nothing makes sense. Death, you remind us of the dualism of life. Death and life. In our lived experiences, we cannot even live. Everyone is in a fight for survival. And when death opens its coffin, we die again. We are always dying. Our children, our parents, our loved ones, dying Let us not crash, because how much more must this body, this physical earth life experience take. * Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
Toronto Sun
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Trump 'Golden Dome' plan tricky and expensive: Experts
Published Jun 19, 2025 • Last updated 11 minutes ago • 3 minute read U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for the space-based "Golden Dome" defence system last month. Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES LE BOURGET, France — U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' defence system is a plan that will face mammoth technical and financial hurdles, and could increase global insecurity, experts say. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump announced plans for the space-based system last month, saying it would eventually cost around $175 billion and would be operational by the end of his term in 2029. The planned defence shield's name is a nod to Israel's Iron Dome that has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets since 2011. But the U.S. defence system would intercept much bigger intercontinental threats. The plan comes after a 2022 Department of defence study pointed to advances by China and Russia. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, it said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump has claimed the 'Golden Dome' will be 'capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world'. But analysts are skeptical. 'I'm not holding my breath,' said Thomas Withington, an associate fellow at the RUSI defence think tank. 'The challenges are so significant at this stage that they may simply be unrealistic to surround in the timeframes that the Trump administration envisages.' 'Poster child for waste' Thomas Roberts, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, said the 'Golden Dome' plan was based on being able to detect when a long-range missile was fired. A missile's so-called 'boost phase' — which produces a heat blast that lasts one to two minutes and can be observed from space — is the best time to deploy defences, he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If you had an enormous constellation of interceptors in orbit at all times, they could be readily de-orbited — or systematically removed from orbit — to strike an intercontinental ballistic missile,' he said. But Todd Harrison, from the American Enterprise Institute, said this would require a massive number of satellites. 'It takes about 950 interceptors spread out in orbit around the Earth to ensure that at least one is always in range to intercept a missile during its boost phase,' he said. But that means that if an adversary launches a salvo of ten missiles, some 9,500 interceptors would be needed to ensure at least ten are within range. 'Given that China has about 350 intercontinental ballistic missiles and Russia has 306 — not including their sub-launched ballistic missiles — scaling a space-based interceptor system to meet the threat quickly becomes impractical.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The non-partisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office estimates that, just to stop 'one or two intercontinental ballistic missiles', the United States would need a constellation of satellites costing between $161 billion to $542 billion. The U.S. military could spend billions of dollars on research only for the next administration to nix the project, Harrison warned. Read More 'Golden Dome could become the poster child for waste and inefficiency in defence,' he said. The plan also calls for developing satellites able to fire lasers at missiles to avoid too much debris on impact. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But a European defence contractor said on condition of anonymity that such lasers are 'still beyond what even the Americans are capable of doing.' 'It's just an excellent way to give the U.S. (defence) industry substantial funding so they can increase their technological lead without necessarily aiming for actual operational deployment,' the contractor said. Trump's plan is reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan ambition for a Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s, which also sought to place interceptor satellites in space. China and Russia, which both have nuclear weapons, have slammed the latest plan as 'deeply destabilizing.' Nuclear-armed North Korea has called the plan a 'very dangerous' threat. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Julia Cournoyer, research associate at Chatham House, said the plan was risky as adversaries would likely see it 'as an attempt to undermine the logic of nuclear deterrence.' 'If Washington is perceived to be developing a shield that could one day neutralize a retaliatory nuclear strike, it risks triggering a dangerous global arms race,' which would exacerbate rather than reduce risk. Withington said Trump might be hoping to use the plan as leverage for talks with China and Russia. 'It may be that the Trump administration is hoping that this would bring both countries to some kind of negotiating table to talk about a reduction of nuclear warhead sizes or to revitalize the arms control agenda,' he said. MMA NHL Canada Toronto & GTA NHL
Leader Live
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Israel threatens Iran's top leader after missiles damage hospital and wound 200
Meanwhile, Israel struck a heavy water reactor that is part of Iran's nuclear programme. At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missiles, four of them seriously, according to Israel's health ministry. The vast majority were lightly wounded, including more than 70 people from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba, where smoke rose as emergency teams evacuated patients. In the aftermath of the strikes, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist'. From Washington, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump will decide whether to join Israel's campaign against Iran's military and nuclear programme within two weeks, saying that Mr Trump still sees a window for diplomacy to address Israeli and US demands on Iran's nuclear programme. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, told reporters, quoting Mr Trump. US officials said this week that Mr Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Mr Khamenei. Mr Trump later said there were no plans to kill him 'at least not for now'. Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on the country's sprawling nuclear programme, on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Meanwhile, an Israeli military official said that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in an attack on Thursday, posing a new challenge to its defences. There was no immediate independent analysis that could be made of the claim, but Iran has hinted in the past that it was pursuing such weaponry. Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defence systems, such as Israel's Iron Dome. Two doctors told The Associated Press that the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1,000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.' Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences. An Israeli military official said on Thursday that airstrikes have destroyed around two-thirds of Iran's ballistic missile launchers. The official said Israel estimates Iran still has more than 100 operational launchers, but that its losses have contributed to the steady decline in attacks since the start of the conflict. Israel estimates that Iran had around 2,000 ballistic missiles at the start of the conflict, and says it has fired around 450 missiles and 1,000 drones towards Israel since hostilities began. Israel lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran was easing. Haim Bublil, a local police commander, told reporters that several people were lightly wounded in the strike. Many hospitals in Israel activated emergency plans in the past week, converting underground parking to hospital floors and moving patients underground, especially those who are on ventilators or are difficult to move quickly. Israel also boasts a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas's October 7 2023 attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,' the military said. Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iranian state TV said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' from the attack on the Arak site. An Iranian state television reporter, speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Iran has long maintained its programme is for peaceful purposes. But it also enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but does not acknowledge having such weapons. The strikes came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them'. Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating that a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Iran's official IRNA news agency said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and the European Union's top diplomat. Mr Trump has said he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating.
India.com
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Can missile air defense systems stop nuclear weapons? India's S-400 defence system can...
Iron Dome vs S-400 Triumf. (File) Global Air Defence systems vs Nuclear attack: In the recent few decades, India and other nations have been continuously developing missile defense systems aimed at intercepting most powerful weapons including nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. However, we all know that these systems face significant limitations like the recent terrible failure of China's HQ9 Air Defence System seen during India's ant-terror operation against Pakistan. One more question that arises is that can missile air defense systems stop nuclear weapons? Scroll down to get all your answers. Air Defence systems vs Nuclear attack! We all know that world's most powerful countries like the U.S., Russia, Israel, and India possess advanced defenses such as the THAAD, Israel's Arrow-3 and Iron Dome, and India's Akash Missile system and S-400 missile defence system receptively but can they defend a nuclear attack? As per media reports, intercepting nuclear warheads is technically challenging and expensive and even a high-performing system like the US THAAD or S-400 missile defence system has had several failures, pointing to inherent vulnerabilities and they may not succeed in stopping nuclear weapons. Iran strikes Israeli intelligence sites in Tel Aviv In a significant development in the Iran-Israel war, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out strikes on 'key Israeli intelligence sites' in Tel Aviv, including military intelligence and Mossad facilities, while the Israeli Air Force said it launched a new wave of airstrikes in western Iran, as per a report by IANS news agency. The IRGC said its Aerospace Force conducted an 'effective operation' in the early hours, penetrating Israel's 'highly advanced air defence systems', according to Iranian state media. The elite force claimed the strikes specifically targeted the Israeli army's Aman headquarters and a facility used for planning 'assassination operations attributed to the Mossad'. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran killed 'a significant number' of officers and commanders in its strikes on Mossad and military intelligence centres. (With inputs from agencies)
