Newsweek:

Iranian forces attacked two military bases in Iraq that house U.S. forces by using both ballistic and cruise missiles.

As previously reported, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for Tuesday night’s attack, which was in response to the U.S. drone strike that killed Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani last week. The Ain al-Asad air base and other areas in Irbil, the capital city in Iraqi Kurdistan, were hit with both types of missiles.

While ballistic and cruise missiles share some similarities, there are key differences in trajectory, detectability and size.

As their name implies, ballistic missiles follow a trajectory that is determined by gravity. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, ballistic missiles are first powered by a rocket or a series of rockets (launch phase), then arch upward unpowered (midcourse phase) before falling to hit their target (terminal phase). After its fuel has run out, the missile follows an elliptical orbit, which is determined by the velocity and flight angle and the Earth’s gravity, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA).

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