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

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A security expert has praised the “outstanding performance” of Israel’s defensive systems, stating they prevented “far greater destruction” amidst the barrage of Iranian missiles targeting the Jewish state.

The Institute for National Security Studies’ Dr. Yehoshua Kalisky recently noted that the “destructive potential of Iranian ballistic missiles is immense,” due to their size, maneuverability, and high velocity. He estimated that Israel intercepted “approximately 95%” of the ballistic missiles aimed at its territory as of Saturday.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, informed Fox News Digital that as of Tuesday, about 20 out of the 380 Iranian ballistic missiles penetrated Israeli defenses. On Tuesday, the Israeli military reported another 20 were launched, with five breaching defenses yet resulting in no fatalities.

Familiar Israeli systems continue to offer protection. Kalisky wrote that Iron Dome is intercepting missiles and short-range rockets while the David’s Sling intercepts cruise missiles and medium-range rockets and missiles. Arrow 2 intercepts long-range ballistic missiles within the atmosphere, while Arrow 3 intercepts them outside the atmosphere.

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

MDA response Israel

Magen David Adom emergency teams respond to the scene of Iranian missile barrages in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday, June 13, 2025. (Magen David Adom (MDA))

Taleblu says that in addition to defending itself, Israel has targeted Iranian ballistic missile storage sites and launching infrastructure. As of Monday, the IDF announced they had destroyed a third of Iranian missile launchers.

According to Taleblu, the “longer the conflict continues, the more militarily neutered the Islamic Republic will become,” though he notes “that doesn’t mean the regime isn’t lethal.”  

“Quantity has a quality of its own,” Taleblu explained, saying that “Iranian ballistic missile survivability and maneuverability” has allowed projectiles to hit civilian population centers, causing death and “massive disruptions to patterns of life.” Taleblu said, “indicating why a regime like this should not be in possession of the biggest ballistic missile arsenal in the region and shall not be permitted to fill up [with] nuclear weapons.”

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

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