Israel Reveals First-Ever Use of New Futuristic Weapon to Shoot Down Ballistic Missile

Israel used its futuristic Arrow 3 defense system for the first time on Thursday to shoot down a ballistic missile fired at southern Israel by Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry.

The Arrow 3 is described by Israel as the most advanced air defense system in the world, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, on the edge of space, according to Israel’s YNET news.

The use of the Arrow 3 follows Israel using the earlier Arrow 2 air defense missile last week to shoot down another Houthi ballistic missile at an altitude of 1,000 miles, according to the Times of Israel.

Israel used the Arrow 3 system to shoot down the missile near the southern Israel town of Eilat, per the report.

The IDF said it also took down a “suspicious target” with its mid-range Patriot air defense system. It's unclear what that object was, but it was launched from Yemen and moved across the Red Sea toward Israel, per IDF.

This comes after Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e posted to X that its “batch of missiles” hit targets “despite the enemy’s secrecy about this.”

Sare’e added that the Houthis will continue their military actions to “support Palestinian people” until “Israeli aggression” stops in Gaza.

The two interceptions Thursday were preceded by reports of a drone crashing near Eilat earlier in the day.

Houthis shot down a U.S. Reaper drone on Wednesday. It’s not clear whether the unmanned surveillance craft was over Yemen or international waters when it was hit.

Video released by the Houthis appeared to show the drone being shot out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile.

This came less than three weeks after the USS Carney destroyer intercepted three Houthi-launched cruise missiles and a number of drones off the coast of Yemen, according to Pentagon officials.