Ballistic missiles form an important part of Iran's arsenal and were used in its Oct. 1 strike on Israel, an attack that Israel responded to on Saturday with raids on Iranian military sites. Israel warned Iran not to retaliate for Saturday's strikes, the latest salvo in their escalating conflict, while a semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a «proportional reaction».
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.
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The semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA published a graphic in April showing nine Iranian missiles it said could reach Israel. These included the «Sejil», capable of flying at more than 17,000 km (10,500 miles) per hour and with a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles); the «Kheibar» with a range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles), and the «Haj Qasem», which has a range of 1,400 km (870 miles), according to ISNA.
The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based non-governmental organization, says Iran's ballistic missiles include the «Shahab-1», with an estimated range of 300 km (190 miles); the «Zolfaghar», range of 700 km (435 miles); «Shahab-3», range of 800-1,000 km (500 to 620 miles); «Emad-1», a missile under development, range of up to 2,000 km (1,240 miles) and «Sejil», under development, with 1,500-2,500 km (930 to 1,550 miles) range. * Fabian Hinz, a Berlin-based expert on Iran's missile arsenal with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that based on the locations of