From Fattah-2 to Ghadr: Iran’s hacks to penetrate Israel’s Iron Dome—How Tehran pulled off air defense heist

On Tuesday evening, Iran launched over 180 missiles at Israel, increasing the already high tensions in the region. Iran has said that the attack was in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard General Abbas Nilforushan. Both of these were killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut.

Although there have not been any Israeli casualties, the missiles caused damage and fire from falling shrapnel.

This attack, named Operation True Promise II, seems not to have caused much loss. Still, it has highlighted that Iran's missiles were successful in penetrating Israel's famous Iron Dome and Arrow air defence systems.

Which missiles did Iran use to overwhelm Iron Dome and Arrow?

According to reports by Iran's state media, the country used several types of ballistic missiles in its attack. These included Ghadr, Emad and the new Fattah missiles.

Reports claim that Fattah can travel as fast as 15 times the speed of sound with a range of up to 1,400 kilometres, making it hypersonic.

Interestingly, Fattah means "Conqueror" in Farsi. This is the first time Iran's Revolutionary Guard has used this missile in retaliation against a country. It is fitted with a gliding warhead, making it one of the most precise missiles today.

According to reports, this missile was used against Israel's Arrow defence system. It is used by the Jewish country to intercept long-range missiles.

According to Associated Press, questions remain over just how maneuverable Fattah is as it comes back into the atmosphere to strike a target. The more irregular the missile’s flight path, the more difficult it becomes to intercept. Missile experts who analyzed footage of remains of missiles recovered after the attack suggested the Fattah had been used.

The other two missiles, Ghadr and Emad, were targeted towards penetrating the Iron Dome. Emad is an upgraded version of Ghadr and is able to make in-flight changes.