A rocket fired by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 terror attack on Israel struck an IDF base where, according to experts many of Israel's Jericho ballistic missiles - which can carry a nuclear warhead - are located.
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According to the New York Times, visual analysis of the Sdot Micha base in central Israel shows that the rocket's impact sparked a fire near the missile storage facilities and other sensitive weaponry.
According to the report, approved for publication by the military censorship, Israeli missiles were not affected. However, the impact of the rocket caused a fire that was about 300 meters from the sensitive missile and weapon storage facilities. The report indicates that the rocket struck a small valley near the Jericho missile facility, the Iron Dome system, and an anti-aircraft battery.
A fire erupted in dry vegetation, and the accompanying photos show the scorched area. In the hours following the rocket strike, around 10:00am, rapid fire spread was documented, and firefighting efforts were underway to contain it.
At least two firefighting planes participated in the efforts to kill the fire, dropping retardant, as indicated by accompanying photos, and the fire was eventually extinguished.
Hans Kristensen, who heads the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, informed The Times that he approximates the presence of 25 to 50 Jericho missile launchers capable of carrying nuclear warheads at the base. Experts and declassified documents from the U.S. government support the assertion that Israel's Jericho missiles are outfitted for nuclear payload delivery.