IDF confirms damage to airbase during Iranian missile attack this week
The Israeli military on Wednesday confirmed that damage was caused to the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase during Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, low-resolution images from the European Commission’s Sentinel-2 satellite, dated June 8, processed by the Copernicus Browser site, showed a discolored patch at a warehouse on the northern Israel airbase, possibly indicating it was hit during the attacks.
As of Wednesday, the IAF was still investigating what struck the warehouse, though preliminary findings pointed to falling fragments from the interception of an Iranian ballistic missile rather than a direct hit.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, no equipment was damaged, no injuries were reported, and the airbase’s operations were unaffected by the impact, which a security source described as “minor.”
Iran launched 24 ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday night and Monday morning, many aimed at northern Israel. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen also fired two ballistic missiles at Israel on Monday morning. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Iranian forces launched at least one ballistic missile at the northern airbase during Sunday night’s barrage.
The airbase, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Haifa, is believed to house three F-16 fighter jet squadrons and a secretive drone squadron. The IDF has previously acknowledged that Iranian missiles struck some military bases while maintaining that they remained fully operational.
Israel’s military censor generally prohibits publication of exact missile impact locations, especially at sensitive sites, out of concern it could help enemies improve targeting.
The strikes on Sunday night and Monday morning were the first direct exchange between Iran and Israel since April 8, when US President Donald Trump announced a halt to the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on February 28. Trump has since pursued a deal to end the war, seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran has insisted any deal must include an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. It said Sunday’s missile strikes were retaliation for an Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs, itself a response to rocket fire on northern Israel, and vowed broader retaliation if the attacks continued.
Although Israel retaliated against Iran’s missile attacks despite Trump’s directive, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly canceled a larger strike at the US president’s request, instead announcing Israel would halt attacks on Iran “for now” while warning that Israel would strike Iran and Hezbollah again if attacked.
