Israeli intelligence jammed the country’s GPS navigation system signals in the days counting down to the Iran attack to confuse its missile targeting teams.
But it is believed Iran’s drones and ballistic missiles, which can be guided by GPS, were fitted with a Russian GLONASS system in order to bypass the jamming. The GLONASS system is an alternative navigation tool to GPS but is less accurate and in the commercial world is considered outdated.
There were claims that Iran was able to bypass the signal jamming attempt. Israeli locals are used to their GPS being jammed during security alerts and some reported that whilst in Israel their GPS showed them in Cairo or Beirut.
The confusion is deliberate and can throw enemy missiles off target, even though it means there is a risk of them hitting other domestic targets. It comes as Israel is preparing to strike back after coming under a 300 missile and drone “declaration of war” from Iran amid escalating fears of a wider conflict.
British warplanes helped shoot down “a number of drones” during the unprecedented direct Iranian barrage, which included ballistic and cruise missiles. The huge £1 billion air defence mission, led by the US and Israel, followed a five-pronged Iran attack on Israel after days of escalating tension.
Gemma Collins breaks down in tears and left shaking with emotion on holidayIn Iran’s first direct attack on Israel, missiles and Shahed “kamikaze drones” were launched from its homeland and its proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Officials in Israel warned they are “prepared for that reality,” referring to fears of an all-out war with Iran breaking out and a wider regional conflict.
British Typhoon fighter jets based in the region helped shoot down many of the missiles after scrambling attack teams alongside Israeli and US combat air crews. Defending Israel cost £1billion in jet fuel, surface-to-air missile interceptors, and air-to-air missiles, with country's “Arrow Three" Hypersonic anti-ballistic missiles costing around £15 million.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned on Sky News: “Every one of us should look and ask what would we do if we were attacked from the four corners of the Middle East. This is a declaration of war. We are considering our options and I am quite confident we will take steps to protect our people.
"There is an evil empire in Tehran, which has its proxies all over the region and with cells all over the world. They're spending billions of dollars just in undermining stability in the region.”
He said proportionally, last night's attack would look like 3,500 drones and missiles fired if the attack was aimed at the UK. He added: "What would [the British government] do [in that scenario]?"