Iran launched a massive missile barrage against Israeli territory in the early hours of June 13, 2025, concentrating on the Kirya neighborhood of Tel Aviv, which is home to Israel’s Ministry of Defense and military headquarters. This attack was a direct response to Israel’s previous attack on Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian commanders. The operation targeted Israeli air bases and military installations, according to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which took credit for it.
Significant property damage and casualties were caused by the missile strike. Multiple fatalities and at least 19 injuries were confirmed by Israeli emergency services in central Israel. Residential buildings in Tel Aviv and nearby cities like Rishon Lezion were damaged or destroyed, trapping some residents beneath the debris. In the Kirya district, dramatic video showed interceptor missiles launching just before a strong explosion that sent smoke plumes over the city. At least one building collapsed, and shrapnel from intercepted missiles caused additional damage, despite some reports indicating the overall building damage was minimal.
In reaction to the attack, Israel activated its air defense network, which included the David’s Sling, Iron Dome, and Arrow systems. At least nine impact sites were reported, including in the metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, even though a sizable portion of the incoming missiles were intercepted. Notably, witnesses reported “significant damage” after one of the Iranian missiles reportedly broke through the defenses and hit a sensitive command center at the Kirya.
Although specific assets or operations were not made public, the United States also helped Israel intercept the missiles. Despite these attempts, the attack’s sheer size and complexity allowed multiple missiles to avoid detection, resulting in property damage and casualties in populated areas.
Israel’s air defense systems have previously been questioned. Hezbollah and other adversaries launched coordinated rocket and drone attacks in September and October 2024, revealing weaknesses in the Iron Dome and associated systems, particularly when faced with sophisticated munitions and high-volume, multi-vector attacks. The Iron Dome can be overpowered by multiple threats at once and is less effective against longer-range ballistic missiles than it is against short-range rockets.
The scale, coordination, and employment of sophisticated missiles—including what was reportedly a hypersonic missile aimed at the Kirya—made the Iranian strike noteworthy. One of Israel’s most sensitive military locations was breached as a result of the attack overwhelming the country’s multi-layered defense system. The recent incident has raised doubts about the system’s capacity to adapt to changing threats and massive barrages, despite Israeli officials’ insistence that no defense system is perfect and that the air-defense architecture places a high priority on protecting population centers.
The massive Iranian missile and drone attack in June 2025 was a major test for Israel’s air defense network, which has long been considered one of the most sophisticated and multi-layered systems in the world. Top Iranian military leaders and scientists were killed in Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets prior to the attack.
made to intercept ballistic missiles with a long range, including those fired from Iran. While Arrow 3 can intercept missiles up to 1,500 miles away and use direct impact technology to eliminate threats in space, Arrow 2 detonates close to approaching missiles.
focuses on medium- and long-range ballistic missiles and uses “hit-to-kill” technology to intercept them directly. It works particularly well against sophisticated guided projectiles.
The most well-known element, the Iron Dome, is in charge of catching artillery shells and short-range rockets. With a success rate of more than 90%, it has played a crucial role in thwarting threats from organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas.
Under development is a laser-based system that should provide affordable short- and mid-range threat interception. Although it is not yet in use, deployment is anticipated by the end of 2025.
Israel’s air defense system was fully operational during the Iranian retaliation, which included the firing of more than 200 ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones. According to Israeli officials, every Iranian drone that was launched was successfully intercepted. The Arrow and David’s Sling, in particular, showed great effectiveness in neutralizing long-range and fast-moving projectiles as part of the multi-layered system.
Nevertheless, a number of Iranian ballistic missiles were able to avoid detection in spite of these achievements. Some missiles reportedly broke through Israeli defenses and hit targets inside Israel, including Tel Aviv government buildings. A portion of the Iranian missiles evaded the Iron Dome and other defense network layers, as evidenced by official statements and social media photos that verified explosions and minor injuries in populated areas. The Iranian attack came in two waves, the second of which managed to breach Israeli defenses while the first was mostly intercepted.
Even for a highly developed system like Israel’s, the sheer volume of incoming threats, launched in quick succession and from various directions, presented a serious challenge.
A high volume of simultaneous launches can momentarily overwhelm the Iron Dome and other systems, as demonstrated in past conflicts like the October 2023 Hamas attack, but they usually recover quickly and minimize damage.
Arrow and David’s Sling are usually used to counter ballistic missiles, such as those used by Iran, while the Iron Dome is designed for short-range rockets. The effectiveness of the multi-layered approach is demonstrated by the successful interception of the majority of drones and numerous missiles; however, no system provides a 100% interception rate, particularly in situations of saturation attack.
An important incident that revealed the shortcomings of Israel’s air defense systems was the Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv. Many incoming threats were deflected by the Iron Dome and its counterparts, but a few missiles managed to get past the defenses, resulting in damage and casualties at the core of Israel’s military installations. Similar flaws have been found in the past when the system was subjected to intense, well-planned attacks, so this breach wasn’t totally unprecedented.
The event serves as a reminder that Israel’s air defense system, which includes the Iron Dome, is not infallible, even with its sophisticated technology and solid performance history. Rare breaches become more feasible as adversaries develop more complex and numerous missile capabilities, making it harder to intercept every threat, particularly during large-scale, multi-pronged attacks.
