 "What is the Haj Qaseem ballistic missile that Iran says it has used against Israel?")
The conflict between Iran and Israel is now in its third day.
The conflict, which broke out after Israel conducted ‘Operation Rising Lion’ on Friday, has escalated dangerously over the past couple of days with Iran responding with ‘Operation True Promise 3’.
Now, I ranian state media has claimed that the country has used the Haj Qaseem ballistic missile during its airstrikes on Israel.
But what do we know about the missile?
Let’s take a closer look:
What do we know?
The Haj Qaseem is a solid-fuelled, medium-range ballistic missile.
It named after General Qasem Soleimani.
Soleimani was the powerful commander of Iran's Quds Force.
He was killed in a US drone strike in 2020 – during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Haj Qaseem means “vengeance.”
The missile is said to have a range of 1200 kilometers and comes equipped with a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV)
It has a mass of seven tonnes. It is thought to be able to carry a 500 kilo payload.
Eleven metres long, it is thought to have an atmospheric entry speed of Mach 11 and an impact speed of Mach 5.
It comes with a maneuverable warhead and an advanced navigation controls including optical/infrared seekers and inertial navigation that allow it to pierce missile-defence systems.
“The new ballistic missile is also equipped with an advanced navigation system that allows it to hit targets precisely and counter electronic warfare,” Tasnim reported in early May.
Iran’s defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has claimed that the missile can dodge the US military’s Terminal High Altitude Defense (THAAD) as well as the Patriot system.
THAAD is thought to be the best anti-ballistic missile defence system when it comes to short-and-medium-range missiles.
Said the missile can “identify a specific target among multiple options” without relying on GPS.
While Western analysts question whether the performance of the missile is as good as Iran claims, they do admit that their run is making strides when it comes to their missile program.
‘Not manouverable’
However, Israel has said Iran’s missiles are not manoeuvrable.
A military official told The Times of Israel that Iran’s missiles are “not something we don’t know how to intercept.”
The officials claimed Iran has fired the same type of missiles it used in previous attacks – in April and October 2024.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement tand said it will not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without grave consequences.
“The Zionist regime (Israel) will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured,” Khamenei said in a statement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran “carried out its crushing and precise response against dozens of targets, military centres and airbases” in Israel at the command of Supreme Leader Khamenei.
With inputs from agencies
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