REPORTS: Israel’s “Iron Dome” Failing; Saturated and allowing rockets to get through
16 May, 2021
As of 9:52 AM EDT Sunday, it is beginning to appear that Israel’s vaunted “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense system is either overwhelmed at the moment, or exhausted. Hamas rocket launches this morning are seeing VERY many direct impacts without being intercepted at all.
Proof is in the pudding. What is now actually taking place, with so many direct rocket impacts, shows something significant has changed with the Iron Dome situation.
Communications chatter being intercepted by intel agencies reports an oft-repeated observation “After 6 days of missile attacks, Iron Dome has finally been saturated. Direct impacts all over the place right now!
One intercept picked up the most basic observation: “So it takes about 3000 unguided rockets, or about 1 million dollars, to completely defeat Iron Dome.”
Very valuable info for Hezbollah and Iran. Very bad news for Israelis if this turns out to be true.
And true it may well be. Below is video from the Petah-Tikva area of Israel. The video is banned by military censors inside Israel and cannot be shown or broadcast in that country. It shows the effect of Hamas rocket attacks from this morning and the effects are serious:
THE “QASSEM”
This potential exhaustion of Iron Dome comes as Hamas reveals their newest missile: The Qassem.
Little is presently known about this missile. On it is lettering that SEEMS to indicate it carries 400 kg of TNT. That would make it weigh almost 1,000 pounds, which seems unlikely. RUMOR claims it is hypersonic. The shortness of the fuselage makes that claim unlikely as well; not nearly enough fuel capacity to render hypersonic speed. But the claims are out now, and photos of one such missile are being released by Hamas, as shown above.
At this hour, there is a statement from the OIC which met in emergency session today in Doha, Qatar, calling for a UN Peacekeeping Force to protect Gaza. The statement reads:
“OIC stresses the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people, in conformity with international humanitarian law standards as has been repeatedly advocated by the United Nations General Assembly, including in resolution ES-10/20 of 13 June 2018 and in line with the Final Communique of the 7th Extraordinary Islamic Summit, by dispatching an international protection force to save innocent lives from ongoing attacks and terrorism by the occupation forces and the extremist colonialist militias;”
There is also, at this hour, an ongoing UN Security Council Meeting taking place in New York City.
Tuesday, there will be an emergency video tele-conference of EU Foreign Ministers to discuss the situation in Gaza.
ANALYSIS
Why would Hamas waste 3,500 rockets and missiles on Iron Dome, in 6 days?
Isn’t it really stupid, after seeing on Day 1, that Iron Dome intercepts virtually ALL missiles, to keep launching?
Same story for day 2. And day 3. And day 4. Iron Dome intercepting over 99% of your rockets. But they KEEP LAUNCHING them.
How many rockets can Hamas have? 10-12,000 or so? At this pace, in 2 weeks, they go back to throwing stones at Israel, or, at best, mortars and bottle rockets.
Nah, something else is afoot, and Israel is most likely going to be attacked by Hezbollah in the coming days.
HISTORICAL REFERENCE
During the 2006 Lebanon war, Hezbollah launched 4,000 rockets/missiles toward Israel, in 33 days, or roughly 121 / day.
Hamas launched 3,500 in the last 6 days, or roughly 583 / day.
In other words, Hamas today is 5 TIMES more powerful then Hezbollah was 15 years ago.
How much more powerful is Hezbollah then Hamas? Probably 10 times more powerful.
Hezbollah is believed to have up to 100,000 rockets and missiles, most of them far better then Hamas.
If Hezbollah and Israel would clash again today, like back in 2006, Hezbollah can easily launch thousands of missiles and rockets, on a daily basis, for weeks in a row.
Can Israeli Iron Dome match 500-1,000 rockets barrage?
Well, we don’t know, since there was no such barrage against Israel.
But Hamas, who, as Hezbollah, is under Iranian patronage, launched several barrages between 120 to 250 missiles/rockets against Israel, during this current conflict.
How better can Iran test Iron Dome capacity and capability, then by using the little child (Hamas) and their rockets, and not waste their big child (Hezbollah) missiles?
If my assumption is correct, there won’t be a ceasefire, we will see a barrage of up to 500 missiles launched by Hamas in the coming days, which will test Iron Dome breaking point.
So Hezbollah, which is primed to attack Israel, will likely do so, with far larger barrages, of much better missiles, with better accuracy and power.
It seems totally counter-intuitive for Hamas to just throw missiles into Iron Dome’s grinder…unless they are testing it for someone able to launch more and better rockets/missiles, for longer periods of time.
Israel is winning battles, Hamas is winning the war – analysis
The IDF is registering great achievements in Operation Guardians of the Walls, but meanwhile the house appears to be collapsing from within.
I would tend to believe that Hezbollah would not launch rockets against Israel unless attacked, although the longer the Israeli’s keep this going the odds increase that they might
Hamas leader: We hope Hezbollah will intervene, but situation is complex
Original link: http://middleeastobserver.net/hamas-leader-we-hope-hezbollah-will-intervene-but-situation-is-complex/
Description:
In a recent interview with RT Arabic, the former head of Hamas’ political bureau Khalid Mashal comments on whether his group is prepared to request Lebanon’s Hezbollah to enter the current battle raging between the Palestinians and Israel.
Source: RT Arabic : Date: May 14, 2021
(Please help us keep producing independent translations for you by donating a small monthly amount here: https://www.patreon.com/MiddleEastObserver?fan_landing=true)
Transcript:
Host:
Some also wonder about the possibility of Hezbollah entering the battle against Israel from the northern front, and this upon the request of the Palestinian factions. Can you, Mr. Khalid, answer this question? Are you prepared to request Hezbollah to intervene in this battle?
Khalid Mashal, Hamas international director:
Realistically speaking, we differentiate between – (on the one hand) – Israel being the enemy of all, the enemy of all resistance forces and all free (parties/forces) in our Ummah (nation), the enemy of our Arab, Islamic Ummah, of humanity and (all) free people of the world. This is a firm conviction. (And on the other hand), everyone becoming engaged in the battle at the same time. This is a matter that depends on the assessments of each side. Of course, we hope that the nation (Ummah) with all its countries, armies and resistance forces, will wage the battle (at the same time), because this is the battle of honour and pride, as Palestine is for the whole Ummah, al-Quds is for the Muslims and Christians of (Palestine) and the nation, and al-Aqsa is the first Qibla of the Muslims. Therefore this is the battle of honour.
Furthermore, Israel is a real threat to the Arab nation’s security, to the Islamic (nation’s) security, and global security. Therefore, engaging in this battle is a duty, (a duty) to serve Palestine and the Ummah itself, for the sake of its national and strategic security. Yet, fighting (this battle) all at once – do we force them to do so? This we leave to the assessment of each side. We acknowledge the complexities of the (current) circumstances, even if we hope to fight this battle together against this common enemy.
Host:
So, you are not going to request any other side to fight with you, while hoping that they get involved in this battle as the enemy is one as you say, Mr (Khaled)?
Mashal:
The masses of our people and people in general, out of there sentiments and own convictions, they too, wish for that, and they may speak about it in the media, in their conversations, or on social media. As for political leaders in Hamas and other organizations, I believe that they are aware of the complexities of reality, and that they do not request something which they are not sure is possible and available, despite it being everyone’s desire.
We do not make such a request, but we hope that everyone will become involved in the battle via the assessment each side undertakes. It is everyone’s responsibility, and if Hamas alone with the resistance forces in Gaza, the people struggling in al-Aqsa, and the people revolting within the interior of Palestine (within the) 1948 borders, and the West Bank, if they alone made Israel stand on one leg, what would the case be if the whole Ummah got involved in this battle?
I believe we are able to defeat (Israel) as it is ‘a paper tiger’ and ‘a spider’s web’. It lacks legitimacy, and its core is empty and hollow, and it is facing a great, heroic people that cannot be defeated by anyone, as they are the owners of the land and the real owners of the country.
