IRAN has unveiled a mighty hypersonic missile dubbed “conqueror” as its proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah rise up against Israel.
The country claims its Fattah II rocket can fly 15 times faster than the speed of sound and is capable of defeating Israel’s air defences.
It comes amid fears Iran-backed militias, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, will unite against Israel and spark an all-out war across the Middle East.
The terror groups have been striking both Israeli and US targets in “solidarity” with Hamas since October 7, when Hamas unleashed hell on Israel and murdered 1,200 men, women, and children.
Hezbollah in particular has pounded Israeli military positions in the country’s north with mortar fire and suicide drones, while Israel has retaliated with warplanes, helicopters, and missiles.
Tehran’s new instrument of death is an updated version of the original Fattah announced in June which had a range of 869 miles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has previously said it intends to increase the range of its hypersonics to 1,242 miles, which would put Israel within range.
Iran claims it has an increased ability to evade anti-aircraft fire as it is fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle which detaches from the missile itself, allowing it to make sharp movements and travel at a hypersonic speed toward its target.
Neither Israel nor the United States have provided an official response to the development, but the Pentagon has previously expressed doubts over Iran’s hypersonic claims.
Senior director at the Foundation for Dence of Democracies Bradley Bowman warned: “Tehran’s claims about new capabilities should be taken with a heavy grain of salt, but it would be a mistake to shrug at Iran’s growing missile capabilities.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran uses ballistic missiles to attack its neighbours and US troops while proliferating some missiles or related technologies to Tehran’s terror proxies,” the Telegraph reported.
As well as being a major supplier of rockets and other arms to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Iran is the main backer of various militia groups in Iraq whose attacks on American soldiers have soared since war began in Gaza.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at Foundation for Dence of Democracies, said: “The move towards developing a hypersonic glide vehicle should not be ignored.
“Iran has proven it has the capability and intent to develop a more lethal ballistic missile arsenal, one with projectiles it hopes will cause more headaches for American and allied missile defences.”
Despite international sanctions, Tehran has been able to develop a sizeable weapons industry capable of exporting military kit to allies like Russia, which it has denied doing.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps already have a vast arsenal of ballistic missiles.