Direct proof of use
Arrow 2 is documented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through the October 31, 2023 interception of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile fired toward Israel from the Red Sea area. The IDF reported that the Arrow Aerial Defense System intercepted the missile before any infiltration into Israeli territory, while Breaking Defense identified the interceptor layer used in the event as Arrow 2.
Arms Control Today later described the October 31 engagement as the first successful Arrow 2 intercept and distinguished it from the November 9, 2023 Arrow 3 engagement against another ballistic missile launched from the Red Sea direction. The Associated Press reported that the Houthi movement claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel that day, although the Houthi statement did not identify the exact missile type.
Sources: IDF October 31 Daily Recap, Breaking Defense Arrow 2 Red Sea Intercept, Arms Control Arrow Combat Intercepts, AP Houthi Israel Attacks
Timeline
The Arrow 2 event occurred during the opening phase of Houthi long-range attacks toward Israel and Red Sea-linked maritime activity. On October 31, the IDF said a surface-to-surface missile approached Israeli territory from the Red Sea area and was intercepted by the Arrow system.
Public reporting then separated two early Arrow milestones: Arrow 2 on October 31 and Arrow 3 on November 9. That distinction matters for this record because later Arrow interceptions in the same crisis may involve Arrow 3 or the broader Arrow system rather than Arrow 2 specifically.
Sources: IDF October 31 Daily Recap, Breaking Defense Arrow 2 Red Sea Intercept, Arms Control Arrow Combat Intercepts
Narrative
In the Red Sea crisis, Arrow 2 served Israel's long-range air-defense and force-protection role against a ballistic missile threat approaching from the south. The engagement was defensive: public sources describe an inbound surface-to-surface or ballistic missile, an intercept outside Israeli territory, and no reported infiltration into Israeli territory.
The user of the interceptor was Israel. The attacking side was attributed in reporting to the Houthi movement in Yemen, whose spokesman claimed ballistic-missile and drone attacks on Israel on October 31. The publicly identified target area was Israel's southern Red Sea port region around Eilat, but the Israeli reports emphasized that the missile was defeated before reaching Israeli territory.
The available public record supports one Arrow 2-specific Red Sea Crisis event on October 31, 2023. Later reporting and research on the wider Houthi campaign describes additional Houthi ballistic-missile attacks toward Eilat and additional Arrow-system interceptions, but those accounts do not always identify Arrow 2 separately from Arrow 3 or the broader Arrow architecture.
Sources: IDF October 31 Daily Recap, Breaking Defense Arrow 2 Red Sea Intercept, AP Houthi Israel Attacks, CTC Houthi War Effort Assessment
