Iranian missiles fired at Israel for the first time since April
Middle Eastern tensions have escalated once again as Iran fires missiles at Israel for the first time since the US-Israeli war on Iran reached a temporary truce in April, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on June 8th.
On June 7th, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) confirmed missile strikes against northern Israel following Israel’s continued attacks against Lebanon; Israel claims to have successfully intercepted those missiles.
Attacks on Israel’s Nevatim, near the Negev, and Tel Nof air bases have been launched, with the IRGC claiming these strikes were retaliation for Israeli strikes on Iranian radar installations.
Renewed Iranian attacks come amid concerns about Israel’s defence capabilities, including an apparent missile interception failure in southern Israel in March.
In April, Israel was reportedly turning to alternative air defence systems to intercept Iranian missiles, including systems not originally designed for missile interception, like David’s Sling.
Despite these concerns, Israeli weapons exports have reached “a record high“, with governments turning to Israeli defence contractors that advertise their products as “battle-tested.”
The US is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 53% of Israel’s total conventional arms imports since 2023; Germany covers the remaining 47%.
Countries including France, Britain, Denmark, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Morocco and Thailand have maintained defence ties with Israel despite concerns about complicity in war crimes amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
During a state visit to Israel in February, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed defence cooperation with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, Netanyahu has vowed to reduce Israel’s reliance on foreign defence aid to allow for a stronger domestic defence industry.
Since February 28th, concerns about US-Israeli missile interceptor supplies depleting have been raised, despite Israel denying shortages.
Amid reports that the US and Israel were “burning through” Tomahawk missile supplies, Pentagon documents indicated that the US Navy was seeking $3 billion to produce 785 Tomahawk missiles for the 2027 fiscal year.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly urged Netanyahu not to retaliate following the June 7th Iranian strikes, contrasting with the US’s steadfast support for the war on Iran in February.
On March 6th, the US approved a $151.8 million munitions sale to Israel, foregoing the mandatory congressional review required for large arms sales.
Maghrebi contacted Israel’s Ministry of Defence for comment on missile interception efforts, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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