Israel's Iron Dome is leaking on purpose as Iran's ballistic missile count passes 400
ballistic missiles
and hundreds of drones at Israel since fighting escalated last week, Israeli military officials confirmed. The wave of attacks follows
Israeli airstrikes
on Iranian nuclear facilities and senior military personnel under
Operation Rising Lion
. While many of the missiles were intercepted, several breached Israel's defences, hitting targets in Tel Aviv and other cities.
Israel responded with overnight strikes on Iranian infrastructure linked to nuclear and missile programmes.
Missiles breach defences in Tel Aviv
Iranian state media claim that the 'Haj Qassem' missile was used to hit central Tel Aviv, killing 10 people and injuring nearly 200. The missile, named after the late General Qassem Soleimani, is designed to evade both the Iron Dome and US-made THAAD systems, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency.
The Islamic Republic also fired a large number of Shahab-series and other long-range missiles in response to Israeli strikes. Some hit targets on the ground, causing visible damage in Bat Yam, Rishon LeZion, and near the Kirya military complex in Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials acknowledged that while a high percentage of missiles were intercepted, 'no system in the world can claim 100% interception'. The IDF estimated a 5–10% leakage rate.
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Iran is no pushover: Israel is learning the hard way
Iran's ballistic missile arsenal
Iran's exact inventory remains classified, but its missile programme is considered one of the most advanced in the region. Over the past three decades, it has developed dozens of ballistic and cruise missile systems.
Ballistic missiles are launched using powerful rocket engines, exiting the Earth's atmosphere before re-entering it at steep angles. Their range varies:
Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) – less than 1,000km
Medium-range (MRBM) – 1,000–3,500km
Long-range (LRBM) – 3,500–5,500km
Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – over 5,500km
The distance between Iran and Israel ranges from 1,300km to 1,500km. A missile travelling at Mach 5—five times the speed of sound—can cover that distance in around 12 minutes.
Why they are hard to stop
Ballistic missiles are fast and follow high trajectories. When they re-enter the atmosphere, they descend rapidly—often at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5)—leaving air defences with only seconds to respond. Some missiles release decoys or employ manoeuvrable re-entry vehicles (MaRV) to avoid interception.
Cruise missiles and drones are also in use. These fly slower but lower, making them harder to detect. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles can manoeuvre mid-flight and follow terrain contours to evade radar.
Iranian drones
and cruise missiles, though slower, complicate the threat landscape. A drone may take up to nine hours to reach Israeli airspace, and cruise missiles nearly two, but their unpredictability adds strain to defensive systems.
Israel's layered defence systems
Israel uses multiple systems to handle the varied threats:
Iron Dome: Targets short-range rockets and artillery.
David's Sling: Designed to intercept medium-range cruise and ballistic missiles between 40km and 300km.
Arrow-2 and Arrow-3: Built to intercept long-range ballistic missiles up to 2,400km, even in space.
Footage online suggests multiple Iranian projectiles breached these defences, causing fires and destruction in residential areas. Some unverified videos show direct impacts near Nevatim Air Base and the IDF's central command in Tel Aviv.
One viral clip appears to show a missile slipping past the Iron Dome and striking near the Kirya. A separate video circulated by Iranian media claimed Israeli air defences accidentally struck each other—a claim Israeli officials denied.
US involvement and strategic stakes
The United States has deployed THAAD and Patriot missile systems in the region and is assisting Israel in defence operations, a U.S. defence official confirmed. American naval assets have also engaged incoming threats.
However, even advanced systems like THAAD have shown limitations. In past conflicts, they failed to intercept some Houthi-fired missiles over Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Iran had 'crossed every red line,' while Defence Minister Israel Katz said, 'The Iranian people will pay a big price.'
Israel's military acknowledges its defences are not airtight. 'Iran's missiles are not something we don't know how to intercept,' a senior IDF official said.
Still, the volume, variety, and velocity of Iran's attack are testing the limits of Israel's systems. While most missiles are intercepted, those that slip through have caused significant casualties, damage, and fear.
The Israeli air force has responded with renewed strikes on missile factories and storage sites in western Iran, as both countries prepare for what could be an even larger phase of confrontation.
With casualties climbing—over 250 in Iran, 24 in Israel—and defences stretched, the question now is not just how well systems can intercept, but how long this tit-for-tat can continue before the conflict escalates beyond control.
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