The Israel Defense Forces said an Iron Dome interceptor missile suffered a “technical fault” Thursday, missing a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip that ultimately struck a home in Rehovot, killing one Israeli and injuring several others.
However, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari described the issue as likely isolated, claiming that the missile defense system managed to down 91% of targeted projectiles.
“There was a technical fault, the interceptor was launched and did not hit the rocket,” Hagari said Friday.
He noted that the malfunction would be investigated further.
According to him, the deadly rocket was similar to the hundreds of other crudely made projectiles launched from Gaza over the recent escalation, but it hit the apartment building at “a complex angle,” causing widespread destruction.
The direct hit blew a massive hole in an apartment on the third story of a building in Rehovot, a city of 150,000 some 45 km north of Gaza, raining rubble on the street below.
