Iranian strikes leave mark on Israel’s Nevatim airbase (Video)
The Israeli Nevatim airbase located in the Negev desert sustained significant damage from Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack against Israel, according to satellite imagery and Hebrew media.
Maariv newspaper reported on 3 October that an aircraft hangar in the Nevatim base was hit hard by Iranian ballistic missiles during Tehran’s operation on 1 October.
Satellite imagery captured by Planet Labs and released by AP on Thursday confirmed the report, showing at least two hits, including a large hole in the aircraft hanger and a smaller crater on one of the runways.
Iran launched its massive ballistic missile attack against Israel on 1 October in an operation dubbed True Promise 2. It was announced as the retaliatory response to the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year and the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week.
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At least 400 ballistic missiles made direct impacts in several locations across Israel after being fired in successive waves.
Video footage documented the missiles landing in several different locations. Palestinians were heard cheering in several videos as the Iranian missiles struck Israeli sites.
In one video, a Palestinian man is heard shouting, “The airport is gone, the airport is gone! The Nevatim airport is gone! Oh my God!”
Tel Aviv attempted to downplay the attack and said around 180 missiles were fired, saying that many were intercepted while some hits were taken in central Israel. Tehran said 90 percent of the barrages it fired reached their targets.
The Israeli army later confirmed on 2 October that a number of air force bases were indeed impacted. It said that no weapons, aircraft, or troops were hit.
Heavy military censorship has been imposed over the impact of the Iranian operation.
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited on Wednesday an initial Israeli army assessment that minor damage was inflicted. Yet the army refused to provide WSJ the exact extent of the damage, saying it “didn’t want to give information to Iran” about how much damage the strikes caused.
Hezbollah sources cited by Al Mayadeen on the night of the attack said, “the Hatzerim, Nevatim, and Ramon bases have been put out of service after being severely damaged by Iranian missiles.”
The Nevatim base is known to house Israel’s F-35 fighter jets. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it also targeted the Netzarim base in Gaza and the Tel Nof intelligence base near Tel Aviv.
“Most of the bases targeted by Iran in Israel were hit directly, especially the airbases. Most of the objectives of the strike were achieved according to the set plan. Nevatim, Hatzerim, Tel Nof, Netzarim, and Glilot bases were targeted. The scale of Israeli missile interception was weak. It has been confirmed that there were significant casualties among Israeli soldiers,” a senior Hezbollah source told Al Jazeera on 1 October.
Israel has vowed a tough response, and Tehran has warned that any Israeli retaliation will result in “crushing” attacks.
Proofreading by Fa’izatu Aliyu Doma, Journalist at Neptune Prime.
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