Militant missile base linked to Israel’s nuclear missile program

A rocket most likely fired by Hamas militants during their attack on Israel on October 7 struck an Israeli military base where, experts say, many of the country’s nuclear missiles are stationed, according to a visual analysis of the attack’s aftermath by The New York. Time.

Although the missiles themselves were not hit, the missile’s impact on the Sdot Micha base in central Israel ignited a fire that neared missile storage facilities and other sensitive weaponry.

Israel has never acknowledged the existence of its nuclear arsenal, despite Israeli whistleblowers American officials Satellite and satellite imagery analysts all agree that the country has at least a small number of nuclear weapons.

Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project, told The Times that he estimates there are most likely 25 to 50 nuclear-capable Jericho missile launchers at the base. According to experts and released US government documentsIsrael’s Jericho missiles are equipped to carry nuclear warheads.

These warheads are most likely kept in a separate location away from the base, and so were not threatened during the attack, said Mr. Kristensen, who studied the base.

The previously unreported attack on Sdot Micha is the first known example of Palestinian militants attacking a site suspected of containing Israeli nuclear weapons. It is unclear whether they knew the specifics of what they were aiming for, other than the fact that the base was simply a military facility. Hamas, the group that fired the majority of the rockets on October 7, did not respond to requests for comment.

But the targeting of one of Israel’s most sensitive military sites shows that the scope of the October 7 attacks may have been even greater than previously known – and that rockets could penetrate the airspace around Israel’s closely guarded strategic weapons.

According to alert alert data, the attack on the area around Sdot Micha involved a series of rockets that lasted for several hours. It is unclear how many missiles were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, or managed to slip through and hit the base, in addition to those found by The Times. In some cases across the country on October 7, Iron Dome became overwhelmed by the amount of incoming fire or ran out of interceptor missiles.

An Israeli army spokesman declined to comment on The Times’ findings. However, since October 7, Israel appears to have recognized and responded to the threat of rocket attacks on Sdot Micha. Recent satellite images show that new earthen berms and barriers have been built around military positions near the missile impact site, presumably to defend against shrapnel or debris from future attacks.

The Times first identified the fire caused by the attack on Sdot Micha using public NASA satellite imagery for detecting forest fires. There has not been a fire – from any cause – of comparable size on the base since at least 2004.

Further evidence of the attack is publicly available satellite imagesrocket alert records and social media posts, which also revealed efforts to combat the brush fire ignited by the fallen rocket.

The rocket struck around 10 a.m. within the borders of the base, located 40 kilometers northeast of Gaza and 24 kilometers west of Jerusalem. The missile landed in a small ravine adjacent to a missile facility in Jericho, a large radar system and an air defense battery. rockets. The explosion quickly ignited a fire in the thick, dry vegetation.

Although The Times could not confirm whether other rockets also hit the base, satellite images captured at 10:30 a.m. show that the fire near the Jericho rockets was the only one on the base.

More satellite images taken in the hours after the attack captured the rapid spread of the fire and the efforts of Israeli firefighters to stem its growth. At least two firefighting aircraft and streaks of bright red fire retardant were visible near the fire. The next day, a satellite image revealed that new roads and firebreaks had been built through the forest to contain the flames, which appeared to have been extinguished.

Decker Eveleth, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies who analyzed the footage, said it appeared that “pathways had been created by fire engines that kept the fire from getting close to the launchers.”

According to a University of Maryland database When tracking attacks on nuclear facilities, there have only been about five attacks on bases containing nuclear weapons worldwide in the past. But due to the inherent secrecy of nuclear weapons, the exact number may never be publicly known. However, Gary Ackerman, one of the researchers who created the database, said the Oct. 7 attack was unique. “This is not something that happens every day,” he said.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups typically fire rockets at Israeli towns and cities relatively close to Gaza. They fired thousands of projectiles at these locations on October 7. On the rarer occasions when the groups fire longer-range rockets, they typically target Israeli cities further from Gaza, such as Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion, rather than the military bases where advanced weapons are stored. which in some cases are much closer to Gaza.

The Sdot Micha base, which has existed since 1962 and is clearly visible on public satellite images, covers thousands of hectares of rolling hills. Although rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip may be inaccurate, it is unlikely that Sdot Micha was hit accidentally. There are virtually no other targets – other than sensitive military facilities – within two miles of the missile’s impact site. There are also few significant, non-military targets in the greater region as a whole due to low population density.

Although the fire burned approximately 40 acres on the base, weapons and equipment remained safe. The flames stopped about 300 meters from the nearest suspected missile facility in Jericho, but approached within 120 meters of a large radar system built on a hill at the base, according to a Times analysis of satellite images.

Mr. Kristensen noted that even if the fire had reached the missiles, their underground, tunneled storage facilities were built to withstand damage. Still, he noted the risks inherent in a fire of this size burning near volatile fuel and ammunition storage areas. Anything can go wrong, he said.

Alexander Cardia And Scott Reinhard production contributed.