Israel PM Netanyahu Mocks Iran After Failed Space Program Attempt

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel mocked Iran after it was confirmed that the latter failed to send a satellite into space. The prime minister’s reactions sparked rumors that Israel could be behind the latest issue encountered by Tehran’s space program.

Iran unveiled its plans to send a satellite into orbit last month. The U.S. and Israel, however, accused Iran of using its space program to develop technologies for its ballistic missiles.

Despite criticisms from other countries, Iran pushed through with the launch of the Zafar 1 satellite through the Simorgh rocket on Sunday. The launch vehicle lifted off from the Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran.

Shortly after taking off, the satellite successfully detached from the rocket. However, an issue prevented the spacecraft from propelling itself into orbit. According to a representative from Iran’s Defense Ministry, the satellite lacked the necessary speed to launch into space.

“Stage-1 and stage-2 motors of the carrier functioned properly and the satellite was successfully detached from its carrier, but at the end of its path it did not reach the required speed for being put in the orbit,” Ahmad Hosseini, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry’s space program, said, according to the Associated Press.

Following the failure of Iran’s latest satellite launch, Netanyahu openly mocked Tehran. In a statement, the Israeli prime minister poked fun at Iran’s satellite launch while referencing the country’s other failures, such as its attempt to transport weapons to Lebanon and Syria as part of the ongoing conflicts in the region.

“We were notified today that Iran failed in launching a satellite,” Netanyahu said during the Likud election event according to The Times Of Israel. “Alright. I’ll tell you what else they’re failing at: in transferring weapons to Syria and Lebanon, because we are operating there all the time, including at this time.”

Due to Netanyahu’s remarks against Iran, several local media outlets reported on rumors of Israel’s involvement in the latest issue encountered by Iran’s space program. Of course, these are only speculations and Israel’s link to Iran’s satellite launch failure has not been confirmed.