Israel's defence ministry said the Ofek 9 was launched from Palmachim air force base on its south coast near Tel Aviv.

BBC: Israel launches Ofek 9 spy satellite

According to Israeli Defence Force figures, 180 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel by militants in 2010.

BBC: Israeli air strikes hit two Gaza towns

But in contradiction to Israel's insistence that the option of using force against Iran must be maintained, America's secretary of defence, Robert Gates, has cautioned that a military attack would only delay rather than destroy its nuclear programme.

ECONOMIST: America's new diplomacy