Tehran / Tel Aviv / Washington — The Middle East has entered a new and far more dangerous chapter after Iran announced the first combat launch of its “monster” Fattah hypersonic missile, claiming a successful strike in a dramatic show of force aimed squarely at the United States and Israel.

In a televised ceremony, IRGC commanders stood before a massive Fattah mock‑up, boasting that the weapon had flown at “many times the speed of sound,” twisting and diving through the atmosphere to outfox every known air‑defence system. State TV aired edited footage of a launch from central Iran and a distant fireball said to be an impact near a “high‑value enemy asset,” without giving precise coordinates.

Iranian officials proclaim Fattah “the end of American and Zionist military arrogance,” insisting its maneuverable warhead can change course mid‑flight, making it virtually impossible for Patriot, THAAD, Iron Dome or Arrow systems to intercept. Crowds in Tehran chanted “Fattah has spoken” as commentators declared that “the era of safe skies for the enemy is over.”

In Jerusalem and Washington, defence planners are scrambling to verify what was actually used and what, if anything, was hit. Official statements speak only of an “advanced long‑range threat” and “limited damage,” but behind closed doors, analysts admit that even a partially successful hypersonic test over a live battlefield would shatter long‑held assumptions about regional missile defence — and force the U.S. and Israel to rethink how, and where, they fight Iran from this moment on.