Hamas rocket hits Israeli base containing nuclear missiles, report says

On October 7, Hamas fired a salvo of rockets at Israel. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Israeli military base said to house nuclear weapons According to a media report, it was hit by a rocket fired by Hamas on October 7.

The report says that although the missiles themselves capable of carrying nuclear weapons were not hit, the attack sparked a fire near the storage facility. objects and other sensitive weapons.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have so far declined to comment on the claims made in The New York Times report.

The report said a Hamas rocket hit the perimeter of the Sdot Micha base, which is located 25 miles northeast from the Gaza Strip and 15 miles west of Jerusalem. It struck at 10 a.m. and apparently landed in a small ravine. The explosion caused a fire in dry vegetation.

The assertion, based on photographs, comes as the Israeli military continues operations throughout Gaza and partners such as the United States urge Israel to keep the number of fires to a minimum. civilian casualties.

The Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said the death toll in the territory since October 7 has exceeded 15,500.

If the report is confirmed, it will cause more great concern in Israel and throughout the region.

If the report is confirmed, it will cause even greater concern in Israel and throughout the region.

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Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which killed at least 1,200 people and took up to 250 hostages people, began with Hamas firing thousands of rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The intent was to create a distraction and defeat the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system.

An Israeli tank fired on Hamas positions in Monday Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The report said it was unclear whether the strike on the base was simply part of a general barrage, or if Hamas knew it had hit the base with missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Hamas has not yet commented on the report.

Using deliberate strategic ambiguity, Israel has never confirmed or denied reports of a nuclear arsenal.

But reports say it may have developed its first weapons in the late 1960s, following the end of the 1967 Six-Day War.

The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based nonprofit, estimates that Israel has about 90 warheads.

If this were so, Israel would be 8th on the list of countries with nuclear weapons, after Russia, the USA, China, France, the UK, Pakistan and India. It would be ahead of North Korea, which is believed to have 30 such weapons.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told The Telegraph it was unclear whether Hamas was targeting the site because that they thought it might include nuclear-armed Jericho missiles or not.»

He added: «But that is one of the inherent risks when a nuclear-armed country is involved in a hot war.”

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Mr. Kimball said: “The same risks exist at times in Pakistan when terrorist networks operate. Pakistani military installations have been attacked in the past. So it's similar.»