Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Thursday it had fired a Sejjil-2 ballistic missile, which is ultra-heavy and long-range, at Israeli soil.
In a statement posted by the Iranian embassy in India on X (Twitter), the missile was among an extensive offensive: “The twelfth wave of Operation ‘True Promise 3’ has commenced with the firing of ultra-heavy, long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles.” The embassy added, “Sejjil missiles, solid-fueled and with long-range potential, are some of Iran’s most accurate and powerful strategic weapons. They have the capability to penetrate and target key enemy objectives.”
Damage and Response
The Times of Israel gave an account of how the missile was intercepted by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) successfully. The interception is said to have caused minor damage to an adjacent vehicle, though.
This missile attack follows as tensions between Iran and Israel persist, now on their seventh day consecutively. The escalation started after Israel attacked a major Iranian nuclear site. Iran retaliated by firing several missiles, with one reportedly landing at an Israeli hospital.
Israel has asserted the nuclear facility it bombed was being utilized to further the development of nuclear weapons. Iran, on the other hand, denied striking the hospital directly, claiming the aimed location was a military compound and that the damage to the hospital was caused by the missile’s “blast wave.”
What Is the Sejjil-2 Missile?
Sejjil-2 is a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) of Iranian origin. It is said to have a two-stage solid-fuel rocket motor and an estimated range of around 2,000 km with a payload capacity of close to 700 kg.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the missile is approximately 18 meters long, 1.25 meters in diameter, and 23,600 kilograms in weight. The missile has a solid-fuel structure that makes it faster to launch than earlier liquid-fueled Iranian missiles like the Shahab series.
History of Development and Testing
Iran originally tested the Sejjil-2 missile in 2008, with the test flight said to have traveled 800 kilometers. A second test took place in May of 2009, with the focus being on enhancements in the missile’s guidance and navigation system. Four more test launches were conducted by Iran since then, with one shot that saw the missile traveling about 1,900 kilometers into the Indian Ocean.