NYT: Hamas Attacks Israel's Military Base, Where Nuclear Weapons Could Be Located
- 5.12.2023, 8:33
- 6,344
![NYT: Hamas Attacks Israel's Military Base, Where Nuclear Weapons Could Be Located](https://i.c97.org/ai/574175/aux-head-1701754370-20231204_ataka_na_israil_360.jpeg)
A visual analysis of the aftermath of the strike has been carried out.
A rocket fired by Hamas militants during the 7 October attack on Israel could have hit a military base where missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons are believed to be based. The base in question is Sdot Micha, which is located in central Israel.
This was reported by the New York Times.
Journalists said that they conducted a visual analysis of the consequences of the attack.
They noted that as a result, a fire started, which spread to the warehouses of missiles and other "sensitive weapons."
![](https://i.c97.org/ai/574175/aux-1701754168-opera-znimok2023-12-05044958www-nytimes-com.png)
![](https://i.c97.org/ai/574175/aux-1701754168-opera-znimok2023-12-05044942www-nytimes-com.png)
"Although the missiles themselves were not hit, the missile strike on the Sdot Micha base in central Israel caused a fire that approached missile storage facilities and other sensitive weaponry," the piece said.
The journalists write that Israel has never acknowledged the existence of its nuclear arsenal, although sources, US officials and analysts of satellite imagery agree that the country possesses at least a small number of nuclear weapons.
"The previously unreported strike on Sdot Micha is the first known case of Palestinian militants attacking a site believed to contain Israeli nuclear weapons. It is unclear whether they knew the specifics of what they were targeting, beyond the fact that the base was simply a military facility," the media outlet wrote.
Neither Hamas nor the Israel Defence Forces responded to requests for comment.
At the same time, it is said Israel seems to have realised the threat of rocket fire at Sdot Micha and responded. Recent satellite images show that new earth mounds and barriers have been built around military positions near the site of the rocket strike, presumably to protect against blast fragments in the event of future attacks.
Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, estimates that between 25 and 50 Jericho nuclear launchers are likely stored in that area.
"These warheads are likely to be stored in a separate location away from the base, so they were not at risk at the time of the attack," Kristensen said.