A military source said interception attempts were made against the missiles which impacted on Saturday evening in Dimona and Arad, claiming that Israel's defense is "not hermetic."
Dozens of people were wounded in Dimona and Arad following two direct hits less than an hour apart.
“A challenging evening," Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper said at the scene in Arad. "This is direct evidence that the enemy is targeting population centers. We are in a significant campaign against Iran and Hezbollah, following Home Front Command guidelines saves lives. We are investigating the incident.”
An initial inquiry found that the US THAAD interception system was supposed to intercept the missile over Arad but missed. It is currently being examined whether this was due to human error or a technical malfunction.
The THAAD system operates alongside Arrow 2 and intercepts in the upper atmosphere. In the incident in Beit Shemesh, it was also THAAD that missed the missile, which was identical to the one that struck both Dimona and Arad on Saturday evening.
A military source said interception attempts were made, and that the Israeli Air Force and Home Front Command are investigating the causes of the impact. “The IDF emphasizes that the defense is not hermetic, and therefore instructions from the Home Front Command must continue to be followed,” he said.
The Air Force stated that interception attempts were made in both incidents in Dimona and Arad, but they were unsuccessful and the missiles struck. An investigation is currently underway. The Air Force added that these are missiles that had been successfully intercepted in the past.
Israeli Air Force sends helicopters to evacuate Arad wounded
The IDF is also preparing to evacuate the wounded by Air Force helicopters from Arad to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, and to transfer patients from Soroka, which may become a triage center, to hospitals in central Israel.
According to the IDF, there were more than 40 wounded at the scene. The Air Force has dispatched Unit 669 helicopters to assist in evacuating the injured. Large MDA teams are also on site, and three MDA helicopters are expected to land shortly.
Prof. Roy Kessous, deputy director of Soroka Medical Center, said: “We received more than 20 wounded from the incident in Arad. The hospital is prepared to absorb the injured. Our emergency department is trained for mass casualty intake. The hospital is operating in fortified areas, including operating rooms.”
A military source said regarding the incident: “A short while ago, several missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory.” He also noted that “a limited number of launches fell in two cities in southern Israel.”
He added that Home Front Command search and rescue forces, together with additional emergency and medical teams, were dispatched to the scenes. “Forces are working to rescue and assist the population in the area. At the scene in Arad, helicopters and a national rescue unit from the Home Front Command were deployed to evacuate the wounded. The Home Front Command chief and additional commanders arrived at the various scenes.”