Severe damage reported as Iranian missile hits Haifa in Israel

India Today

Severe damage was reported in Haifa after an Iranian ballistic missile struck the northern Israeli city. Missiles launched from Iran also targeted multiple locations across northern and central Israel, including Nes Ziona, Rishon LeZion, and Tel Aviv. Emergency services are actively responding, while air raid sirens continue to sound across affected regions.

Transcript

00:00These are images that are coming in from Haifa, which has repeatedly been in the line of fire.

00:08There appears to be a massive traffic jam. Has a missile struck Haifa?

00:14Haifa has repeatedly been targeted in the northern part of Israel.

00:19I was reporting from Haifa when operations against Lebanon were mounted last year.

00:26And it's a very rich oil port. Incidentally, the Adanis have a port in Haifa.

00:35They manage a port. The Chinese have a port and interest in Haifa.

00:40It's a beautiful city. In the First World War, we hear of that Haifa charge.

00:48India played a very critical role in the liberation of Haifa and the British Indian forces.

00:56But those are the images that you see of Haifa right now.

01:00You have the Iron Dome system in action, which is taking down the incoming threat.

01:06And if you were to talk about Pranay, the missiles that are coming in,

01:11a ballistic missile would just take, you know, the 2,000 kilometers that it has to travel from Iran to Israel,

01:16would take about 8 to 10 minutes.

01:20A cruise missile would take about an hour, two hours, around that kind of time.

01:26Also, depending on what missile has been fired.

01:29But there is clear and present danger.

01:31So you have multiple assets of the Israeli Air Force, including their fighter jets,

01:35and their Iron Dome and David Sling system in action.

01:39Absolutely right, Gaurav.

01:40And you have to point, I would like to point out here that, like,

01:44if Iranian missiles can hit any necessary target,

01:47this clearly shows that they have managed to navigate the territories in between,

01:51the Iraqi territory, the air defense system of Iraq,

01:54the air defense system which are present in Jordan,

01:58and also the air defense system in Israel.

02:00So the multi-layer air defense system,

02:02which is present within the territory of Israel and as well as territories beyond.

02:07This clearly shows that Iran is able to manage and penetrate the air defense,

02:11the Iron Dome system, David Sling, Aero, and Thad, Patriot,

02:15like multi-layer, five-layer system air defense which is present

02:19to protect the Israeli territories.

02:20Also, you have to notice here that the Israel doesn't have a strategic depth.

02:26Israel is smaller in territory, like around 70 to 75 percent smaller than Iran.

02:31And also is that it has higher population density.

02:34So if the Iranian missiles can hit Iran, can hit Israel and Israeli territory,

02:40they can cause a wide level of destruction.

02:42And the kind of visuals we are getting it,

02:44this is certainly very disturbing visuals for the Israeli government as well.

02:49But people have been instructed to go into bunkers.

02:51These bunkers, you have also gone there, Gaurav, you know it very well.

02:55And we have been to these bunkers.

02:57We know that how secure, how protected these bunkers are.

02:59So we may expect that Israel gets a time to respond.

03:04Because as you pointed out, the trajectory of a missile coming from Iran,

03:08it travels, it takes a while and Israel gets a time to respond.

03:12But meanwhile, let me tell you one interesting thing,

03:15that even Iran is not only carrying out these missile attacks,

03:18but they are also claiming that there is no damage which has been caused to Fardou even.

03:23Like, you know, just a while ago, the Iranian news agency has done a walkthrough

03:27and showcasing the visuals of Fardou facility by saying that there is no damage.

03:33There's only, like, you know, some fume which can be seen coming out of the Fardou facility,

03:38but there is no widespread damage.

03:39Our reporters walked through, I have just seen that.

03:41So on one side, there are claims that there is no damage.

03:45But on the other side, Iran is hitting Israel.

03:48So clearly an escalation, clearly we could see that the next level of the American attack,

03:55whether it comes or not, that is a bigger question.

03:58That to protect Israel, whether President Donald Trump again instructs the American Air Force

04:04to carry out further attacks on Iranian missile facilities and also the nuclear facilities.

04:09I want to put out these images full screen.

04:12Big story coming in.

04:13There's an Iranian missile that has hit Haifa, the northern port city of Israel.

04:20That's the image that we are getting in.

04:23There you see, it's an attempt at interception.

04:27Even it's a barrage of Iron Dome rockets and missiles that have been fired in an attempt

04:35to intercept the incoming missile, but it's managed to hit a built-up area.

04:40You can see the damage on ground while people were asked to go indoors in Haifa.

04:47This is the first image that is coming in from Haifa, the very crucial Israeli port city.

04:55It has various quarters.

04:59Haifa has been hit before.

05:01It has repeatedly been targeted by Iran.

05:04And the fact, Ambassador Trigunayat, that Iran is able to launch missiles that can hit Haifa

05:12or Tel Aviv or Beersheva in the south.

05:16It can hit across the length and breadth of the country, despite multiple levels that an

05:21attempt is being made to stop it just when it is being launched or by Jordan or by American

05:26warships or by British warships or by the air forces and the Israeli air force and the

05:32iron dome and the David sling and the THARD system.

05:35And yet it hits.

05:37Yes, that is true.

05:39I mean, that shows that despite all the information one gets out from outside, Iran has developed

05:45tremendous missile capacities.

05:46And they are here to use some of their weapons that they have been threatening.

05:50In fact, if you remember yesterday night, there was a news that they would be sending

05:54about 450 missiles.

05:56And they have also started those cluster missiles and others.

05:59So I think that this is something that is going to be very difficult.

06:03This is the only strength the Iranians have.

06:05They don't have a good air force.

06:07So that's why when the Israelis say that they have the full command over the Iranian airspace,

06:12that's a different thing.

06:13But then that doesn't mean that they also have the full control over the airspace.

06:18So I think at the moment, Israel is also quite stressed.

06:22And that's the reason that they asked the American intervention to come in.

06:26Now, it will all depend on exactly how U.S. is going to play out.

06:29Of course, a lot of supplies are being given to the Israelis by the Americans to beef up.

06:36But that takes time.

06:37And Ashraf Vani is just joining me in a moment before I take a break.

06:41Ashraf, quick reaction from you.

06:43The manner in which Iran has been able to strike back despite,

06:47and this is day 10 of Israel's attacks on Iran and the U.S. bombing,

06:54they've succeeded in striking Haifa.

07:00Absolutely, Gaurav.

07:01And during last few days, the Benjamin Netanyahu was claiming that they have

07:05completely damaged all the launching facilities of Iran.

07:09And today, Iran has shown that there is not any kind of a truth in the claims of Benjamin Netanyahu.

07:15Now, what the Israeli government has claimed,

07:20that 10 direct strikes on the different parts of Israel,

07:24particularly in the central Tel Aviv, central part of Israel,

07:27and also in the port city of Haifa, about which you have, you were talking,

07:32and you have also visited many times to date place.

07:34That is the nerve center of the all economic activities of Israel.

07:39That has not been hit first time during the last 10 days of war.

07:42The Haifa was the main target of Iranian missiles,

07:45because that is the nerve center.

07:47That is the refinery of the Israel.

07:50That has already got damaged and is not still being activated by the Israeli engineers.

07:56And also today, again, the one building has hit what would,

08:01getting from the sources from the, from the port city of Haifa,

08:04that there are also casualties reported from that missile strike in Haifa.

08:10But as you know, there is a full-fledged censorship on the images,

08:14as well as on the videos, and on the details in the Israel.

08:17The Israel has already showed the orders of censorship,

08:20that if any journalist reports the reality of the strategic assets in the Israel,

08:26he will be, he will be sent to the jail.

08:29So that is the, that is the position currently in the Israel.

08:33And also the blows during last many days Israel is getting,

08:37that clearly indicates that now the people of the Israel are so divided,

08:42who were gathered around the flag when the Benjamin Netanyahu started these strikes

08:48against Iran last Friday.

08:50But now the life across the Israel is tensile,

08:55that has divided the society there also,

08:59that whether this move by the Benjamin Netanyahu was right or wrong.

09:02Okay, stay with me for a moment, Ambassador Trigunyat, Dr. Vail Awad, stay with me.

09:08We will continue talking about this.

09:09Three images that we are putting out on your television screen,

09:12showing you the damage that the missiles have caused in, in Haifa,

09:18that very crucial port city, of course, have reported from Haifa,

09:22from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba, the different parts of, of Israel.

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