Report: Russia in Possession of Advanced Israeli Interceptor Missile

Media reports in China said that the Russians had captured an advanced Israeli defense missile, and were reverse-engineering it in order to understand its technology. The report by the SINA news agency said that the Israeli interceptor had been captured by Syrian military forces in 2018.

In July of that year, Israel used the interceptors for the first time to intercept two Syrian missiles that appeared to be on their way to Israel. The Syrian missiles fell short and landed in Syrian territory. Israeli forces shot two David’s Sling interceptors at the missiles, and when it became clear that the Syrian missiles had missed their mark, they blew up one of the interceptors. The other fell to the ground. Syrian soldiers then removed the interceptor and shipped it to Russia. The report said that Israel and the United States have asked Russia to return the missile. The IDF has not commented on the report.

The advanced missile is designed to intercept missiles fired from up to 300 kilometers away. The David’s Sling system, along with the Iron Dome and the Arrow system, is part of an Israeli defense system against short-, medium- and long-range ballistic missiles.