Yemen's hypersonic missile 'Palestine 2': Effectiveness of Israeli air defense systems

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Yemen's Houthis unveiled details about a new missile they have developed, known as "Palestine 2." This missile reportedly travels at speeds of up to 16 times the speed of sound and is designed with stealth technology. 

According to Houthis, it is a hypersonic missile carried by a ballistic missile, enabling it to reach significant altitudes before separating and gliding at hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5.

Upon reaching its designated altitude, the warhead detaches from the ballistic missile and begins its hypersonic glide, making interception exceedingly tricky. 

In Israel, there are various air defense systems, including the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow 2 and 3, but only the Arrow system is equipped to handle this type of missile. It is specifically designed to intercept ballistic missiles, including those exiting Earth's atmosphere.

Israel has not entirely dismissed the failure to intercept the missile. According to a report by The Times of Israel, an Israeli Air Force investigation found that while an Arrow interceptor struck the Houthi missile, it was not completely destroyed, resulting in debris falling in various locations, including a train station approximately 25 kilometers from Tel Aviv. 

While the Israeli Air Force concluded that the missile was not hypersonic, the same report noted that the missile triggered alarms across central Israel at 6:32 a.m., after being detected shortly after its launch from northwest Yemen at around 6:21 a.m. 

This timing aligns with Houthi claims that the missile took approximately 11 minutes to reach its target, suggesting that a missile capable of covering 2,000 kilometers in that timeframe must be hypersonic.