Analyzing Iran’s Significant Missile Strike on Israel: 10 Key Insights

The recent attack from Iran included 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles. The intercepting of all the drones and cruise missiles was successful. However, around 50 per cent of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran failed to reach their targets.

This raises the question of whether Iran calibrated the attack to prevent retaliation. The strike package was reportedly based on the effective Russian model used against Ukraine, where Ukrainian air defenses intercepted only 46 per cent of Russian ballistic missiles, compared to Israel and its allies’ 99 per cent interception rate. The strike rate fell short of Iranian expectations, as they were not aware of the full effectiveness of the Israeli shield.

However, now with knowledge of Israel’s capabilities, Iran may be able to plan more effective attacks in the future, leading to concerns about the potential for future successful attacks. This situation has led to world leaders calling for calm, with the US, Israel’s top ally, urging Israel to refrain from a military response. This call for restraint comes at a time when the region is already facing turmoil over the Gaza war.