An Iranian soldier stands next to an Iranian Shahab-3 missile in Tehran, Iran on April 29, 2022.

Variants of Iran’s Shahab-3 series ballistic missiles were used in Iran’s attack on Israel, weapons experts who analyzed verified social media videos at the scene told CNN.

Trevor Ball, a former senior explosives technician for the US military, told CNN that fragments consistent with Shahab-3 variants such as Emad or Ghadr were recognizable from images and videos of the attack. According to Ball, one video showed the debris of a booster with visible markings from an Emad missile. Different models could also have been used, such as the Kheibar Shekan or, less likely, a Fattah, he added.

According to Patrick Senft, research coordinator at Armament Research Services (ARES), the Shahab-3 is the basis for all Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles that use liquid propellant. “It is most likely based on a North Korean missile which itself is probably based on the Soviet-designed Scud missiles. The Shahab-3 was the first Iranian ballistic missile that could reach Israel,” he added.

According to both Ball and Senft, remnants of an Iranian ballistic missile, including the guidance section and warhead, were visible in images and videos collected by CNN at the scene of a missile attack on a Shalhavot Chabad School in Gedera. It is difficult to identify the exact model due to the lack of reference images, Ball said.

Hypersonic Claims: Weapons experts expressed skepticism over claims that Iran first used its Fattah 1 hypersonic missile in its attack on Israel.

“It’s one of their newest ballistic missiles, and they have a lot to lose if they use it,” Ball said. “Israel would get a sense of its capabilities just by using it. There is also the chance that it may not function, giving Israel an even better idea of ​​its capabilities. They get free propaganda and risk nothing by saying it was used.”