The Israeli air defense system has shown mixed results during the 13-day war with Iran. According to official data, Iran launched 631 rockets, of which about 500 reached Israeli airspace. Israeli and American air defense systems fired 514 interceptors, shooting down 221 missiles, which gives a ratio of about two anti-aircraft guided missiles to one Iranian ballistic missile.
The Israeli Hetz-2, Hetz-3, David's Sling (Iron Dome) complexes, as well as the American THAAD, SM-6 and SM-3 systems were used to repel the attacks. Despite this, about 243 Iranian munitions landed in the desert or unpopulated areas, including important military bases, and 36 rockets hit targets, causing damage to residential areas — more than 2,300 apartments in 240 buildings were damaged.
However, the effectiveness of Israeli air defense decreased from the initial 90% to about 65% in the last days of the conflict, which is attributed to Iran's use of more modern and faster missiles that give air defense systems less time to intercept — the warning is received in 6-7 minutes instead of the previous 10-11. Iran also uses combined attack tactics using cheap drones and false targets that distract Israeli air defenses, allowing missiles to break through the layered defenses.
In addition, the high consumption of expensive Hetz and David's Sling interceptors raises questions about the long-term sustainability of the Israeli air defense system, given its limited production capabilities. Military censorship in Israel limits the full transparency of the damage, but the data indicates significant destruction and civilian casualties.
In general, despite high-tech systems and US assistance, Israel has not been able to completely neutralize the missile strikes of Iran, which has retained significant missile capabilities and continues to improve its means of destruction. Under these circumstances, Israel is considering a proactive strategy, but the current truce is probably just a respite before the next phase of the conflict.
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