Rocket Race | SAIGON GIAI PHONG NEWSPAPER

According to The Economist, the possession of long-range missiles is no longer limited to a few military powers as before, but has expanded to many countries, as well as militia forces in the Middle East.

This changes the strategic landscape in the region and leads to a missile race that raises many concerns.

According to estimates by expert Hassan Elbahtimy of King College University in London (UK), there are currently 11 countries in the region possessing ballistic missiles or cruise missiles with a range of more than 250km.

An Israeli statistic said that Hamas had about 30,000 missiles in 2021. The more sophisticated arsenal of Hezbollah in Lebanon currently has about 150,000 missiles, including about 400 long-range missiles that can strike anywhere in Israel.

More importantly, states no longer have a monopoly on technology. Over the past 20 years, Iran has supplied drones, rockets and missiles, and manufacturing know-how to Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria, most notably Hezbollah. As a result, militant groups now pose a military threat that only states could pose 20 years ago.

But numbers are not the main issue. In the past, most countries that wanted to hit enemies far away needed expensive air forces. But now, those who don’t necessarily have air forces can still strike deep into their opponents. That changes the strategic calculus. In a future war that many Israeli officials say is inevitable, the ratio of missiles fired to interceptors used will increase.

Israeli engineer Yair Ramati, former head of the Israeli Defense Ministry 's missile defense agency, said that an arms race has been going on for more than 30 years, in which each side has been building up its arsenal, while Israel has been developing its defenses. And that race shows no signs of slowing down.

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