MOSCOW, Nov 5 Israel's downing of a Houthi ballistic missile that was fired from Yemen and flying towards the Israeli city of Eilat on October 30 was probably the first in history in space, reports the Telegraph newspaper.
«Israel this week used the Arrow missile defense system to shoot down a ballistic missile outside the Earth's atmosphere, in what is believed to be the first-ever combat in space,» the newspaper writes.
The newspaper emphasizes that this is also the first time that the Arrow missile defense system, jointly developed by Israel and the United States, was used for its main purpose — to shoot down long-range ballistic missile at high altitude and high speed.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took more than 200 hostages. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.4 thousand people were killed, including 300 military personnel, and more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip exceeded 9.4 thousand people, over 24 thousand were injured. The Russian Embassy reported that during the escalation of the conflict, 20 Russians were killed, two were taken hostage, and seven were listed as missing. According to various sources, about 150 Israelis may be held captive by Hamas. The movement itself stated that there are about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. The decision of the UN, with the active role of the USSR, in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.