Israel conducts missile test launch
The defense establishment conducts a test launch of a rocket propulsion system in central Israel leaving a trail visible for kilometers; defense officials do not comment on whether test was successful or not.
There was no comment on whether or not the test was successful.
The propulsion system could be used to launch Israel's strategic ground-to-ground or ground-to-air missiles, such as the "Arrow," which is an anti-ballistic missile system, or the "Jericho," which according to foreign reports can support a nuclear payload.
Given Israel's advances in missile technology, particularly systems designed to create a multi-layered defense umbrella, similar tests are not uncommon.
In 2013, a test launch of a rocket propulsion system was conducted which foreign media reported was part of the development of the Jericho ballistic missile. The trail created by the projectile was easily visible in the center of the country, with foreign outlets speculating that the missile had a range of nearly 4,000km.
In 2015, during testing of advanced versions of the Arrow system, the Ministry of Defense announced that one test had failed, while another was called off at the last moment.
Following a test of the Arrow 2 system, defense officials did not confirm that the target was intercepted, prompting Russian reports that the missile had landed in the sea, 300km off of the Tel Aviv coast. Israeli defense officials described the Russian reports as "inaccurate."
