Israeli defensive capabilities prevented ‘far greater destruction,’ expert says

A information adept has hailed the "outstanding performance" of Israel’s antiaircraft capabilities that helium said prevented "far greater destruction," amid the barrage of Iranian missiles fired astatine the Jewish state.

The Institute for National Security Studies’ Dr. Yehoshua Kalisky precocious wrote that the "destructive imaginable of Iranian ballistic missiles is immense," fixed the size, maneuverability, and precocious velocity of assorted missiles successful the Iranian arsenal. He calculated that Israel intercepted "approximately 95%" of the ballistic missiles launched toward its territory arsenic of Saturday.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital helium believes arsenic of Monday, astir 20 of the Iranian 250-300 ballistic missiles sent into Israeli airspace person made it done Israel’s defenses. On Tuesday, the Israeli subject said different 20 were fired, with 5 getting done with nary fatalities.

ISRAEL ACTIVATES 'BARAK MAGEN' AERIAL DEFENSES FOR SYSTEM'S FIRST EVER INTERCEPTION

Israeli aerial defenses seen successful the skies implicit bluish Israel during an Iranian rocket onslaught connected June 16, 2025. (Photos by Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL)

As of June 15, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) besides stated that Iran had "sent much than 100 UAVs astatine Israel," which it intercepted. 

According to Taleblu, the "barrages against Israel travel the pattern established successful 2024 wherever the decades-long covert warfare betwixt Israel and Iran crept retired of the shadows." 

Taleblu says Iran has been "doubl[ing] down connected targeting civilian colonisation centers successful what are called counter-value operations successful a bid to erode Israel’s volition to proceed its run against the Islamic Republic’s subject sites." He explained determination person been "at slightest 8 waves" of attacks connected Israel, and that "there is simply a batch of anecdotal grounds to accidental that these waves are getting progressively smaller." 

A pistillate worker stands by an Iron Dome battery. Women marque up fractional of each the Iron Dome operators and widen their work by a twelvemonth to 3 years. (IDF Spokesman's Unit.)

Amid the Iranian attacks, Kalisky outlined the myriad antiaircraft capabilities that person protected Israeli citizens. These see the Magen Or, "a caller and important summation to Israel’s antiaircraft layer" that uses laser systems to intercept Iranian UAVs. 

The U.S. deployed its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense artillery (THAAD) to Israel successful October 2024 on with 100 U.S. unit to run the system. Kalisky says that THAAD "identifies targets up to 2,500 – 3,000 km away" and tin intercept "short- and medium-range ballistic missiles astatine altitudes of up to 150 km." 

IRANIAN STRIKES ON ISRAEL ESCALATE, KILLING AT LEAST 24 AND DAMAGING US EMBASSY BRANCH IN TEL AVIV 

Familiar Israeli systems proceed to connection protection. Kalisky wrote that Iron Dome is intercepting missiles and short-range rockets portion the David’s Sling intercepts cruise missiles and medium-range rockets and missiles. Arrow 2 intercepts long-range ballistic missiles wrong the atmosphere, portion Arrow 3 intercepts them extracurricular the atmosphere.

Additionally, Israel’s naval interception system, the C-dome, is deployed to Israeli Sa’ar 6-class rocket ships, "protect[ing] strategical maritime assets." 

Magen David Adom exigency teams respond to the country of Iranian rocket barrages successful Tel Aviv, Israel, connected Friday, June 13, 2025. (Magen David Adom (MDA))

Taleblu says that successful summation to defending itself, Israel has targeted Iranian ballistic rocket retention sites and launching infrastructure. As of Monday, the IDF announced they had destroyed a 3rd of Iranian rocket launchers.

According to Taleblu, the "longer the struggle continues, the much militarily neutered the Islamic Republic volition become," though helium notes "that doesn’t mean the authorities isn’t lethal."  

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"Quantity has a prime of its own," Taleblu explained, saying that "Iranian ballistic rocket survivability and maneuverability" has allowed projectiles to deed civilian colonisation centers, causing decease and "massive disruptions to patterns of life." Taleblu said, "indicating wherefore a authorities similar this should not beryllium successful possession of the biggest ballistic rocket arsenal successful the portion and shall not beryllium permitted to capable up [with] atomic weapons."

As of Tuesday, 24 Israelis person been killed and much than 500 injured by the onslaught of Iranian ballistic missiles.