Questions emerge on role of Iron Dome during Iranian missile

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Oct. 2, 2024.

Iran's missile barrage against Israel triggers a wave of conflicting reports regarding the efficacy of Israel's Iron Dome air defense system.

While some reports claim that Tehran's deployment of hypersonic missiles for the first time successfully penetrated Israel's defense network, Iran asserted that the majority of its projectiles struck their intended targets, claiming to have hit numerous military and intelligence installations within Israel with an astonishing 90 percent success rate.

Tehran also said that it destroyed 20 Israeli F-35 fighter jets.
Military analysts have suggested that Iran's inaugural use of the hypersonic "Fattah" missile, with its ability to alter direction and altitude at extreme speeds, rendered it nearly invulnerable to existing missile defense systems.

John Erath, a defense expert, acknowledged that "like all air defense systems, the Iron Dome has its limitations." He emphasized that while the system excels at countering small-scale threats, such as those typically encountered by Israel, it may struggle under sustained bombardment. "The heel of missile defense lies in the possibility of overwhelming the system by firing volleys of projectiles across multiple sectors," Erath remarked.
Iran's ballistic missile, significantly more advanced than Iran's standard arsenal, boasts a range of 1,400 kilometers and exceptional maneuverability, allowing it to evade missile defense systems by outflanking their interceptors.
In contrast, Israeli officials maintained that the majority of the missiles were intercepted. "Israel's multilayered air defense...