Israel tests new Iron Sting bomb in Gaza

The Israeli Air Force announced yesterday that it had used a new bomb in Gaza which it has called the ‘Iron Sting’.

In a video uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, the air force said: “The Maglan Unit, in cooperation with the Air Force, thwarted dozens of terrorists using a variety of weapons, including an innovative and accurate mortar bomb, called “Iron Sting”.”

The video showed the 120mm mortar apparently decimating a rocket launcher.

יחידת מגלן בשיתוף חיל-האוויר, סיכלה עשרות מחבלים באמצעות מגוון אמצעי לחימה, ביניהם פצצת מרגמה (פצמ״ר) חדשנית ומדויקת, הנקראת “עוקץ פלדה”.

צפו בתיעוד מתקיפת משגר רקטות באמצעות “עוקץ פלדה” pic.twitter.com/ucphdgboJN

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 22, 2023

The Iron Sting missiles were developed by Elbit Systems and were first unveiled by the Ministry of Defence and the Ground Forces in 2021.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper explained that the mortar shells were designed for use in both open terrain and urban environments for accurate targeting while minimising surrounding damage.

The newspaper reported that the weapon consists of a 120 mm mortar that uses a global positioning system (GPS) and laser guidance to hit targets accurately.

It noted that the range of the missiles is 12 kilometres and it can penetrate double reinforced concrete.

Israel’s Maariv said in an article published in 2021 that the accuracy level of the new missile reaches a maximum deviation of ten metres, in 90 per cent of cases.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr Ashraf Al-Qudra, said in a press statement that medical teams observed Israel using unusual weapons, which caused severe burns on the bodies of Palestinians who were killed and wounded by Israel’s bombs.

Read: More than 400 killed by Israel in Gaza in 24 hours