IDF makes first use of ‘Bar’ rocket against terrorists in Gaza Strip, after seeing action in Lebanon

According to an IDF announcement, the Israeli military recently made the first operational use of a "Bar" rocket against Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip. 

The “Bar” rocket is part of a system with a navigation mechanism adapted to challenging combat environments. The rocket is capable of hitting the target "in a very short time,” according to the IDF. 

Developed by Elbit Systems, the Bar system replaces the IDF’s older Romach (spear) rockets, which went into service in 2017. Romach rockets, which are also GPS-guided, had a range of 35-40 kilometers with an accuracy margin of under 10 meters. The Romach rockets are also manufactured by Elbit Systems. 

The military said that the rocket was used by artillery troops of the 282nd Artillery Brigade under the command of the 36th Division, who launched operations in the Gaza Strip for the first time since the beginning of the "Iron Swords" War in October 2023. The division previously conducted activities in other arenas. 

Captain S., commander of a battery in Battalion 334 of the 282nd Brigade, described the advantages the new system offers the military in an interview with the intelligence site SOFX.

“For example, a soldier in the Strip who spots a terrorist with an anti-tank missile on one of the floors of a certain building,” he explained. “From the moment he contacts us over the radio, within about seven minutes, a rocket hits that exact point, with minimal deviation.” 

The IDF has successfully conducted artillery strikes against Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon using the Bar rocket system.

Since beginning operations in Gaza, brigade forces have fired over 5,000 artillery shells at terror targets in the Morag Corridor – a strategic zone separating the southern Gaza Strip between Rafah and Khan Younis – while providing close support to ground troops operating in the area.

During their maneuvers, the troops have helped destroy weapons depots and launch sites belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, while also eliminating militants under the coordination of the brigade’s fire control center.

The military also stated that, since the beginning of the war, the IDF has repurposed old armored personnel carriers, filling them with tons of explosives to activate IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) placed by terrorists before any fighters enter the area. Developed by the IDF, the armored personnel carriers are packed with tons of explosives and remotely driven into areas suspected of containing improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The military said the explosion of one of these explosive-laden armored personnel carriers can have the same effect as four or five JDAM bombs. During the war, the IDF upgraded the old APCs for this purpose, using them against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.