A look at the kind of weapons fired into Israel.
Iran unleashed waves of ballistic missiles on Israel on Tuesday, a shift from the drones and cruise missiles it used in its April attack.
Ballistic missiles are powered by a rocket or series of rockets before descending to their target and finishing their trajectory unpowered.
This type of missile can fly much higher into the atmosphere than artillery rockets and go much farther, and it hits the ground at high speeds because of gravity’s pull.
The category of ballistic missiles fired on Israel on Tuesday remains unknown. If fired from Iran, the ballistic missiles could be considered medium-range, which can hit targets 620 miles to 1,860 miles away, or intermediate-range, which can travel 1,860 miles to 3,140 miles.
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, categorizes ballistic missiles by the distance they can travel. Short-range ballistic missiles can travel about 620 miles, while the long-range type, also known as intercontinental ballistic missiles, can hit targets at around 3,410 miles away.
The Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, that the United States shipped to Ukraine are short-range missiles.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, carry nuclear warheads and can be launched from underground silos or underwater submarines to hit targets across the planet. The explosive payload of ICBMs is measured in hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT.
Eve Sampson is a reporter covering international news and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers. More about Eve Sampson
