Through Trial and Error, Iran Found Gaps in Israel’s Storied Air Defenses
Wall Street Journal - Tuesday, July 15, 2025by
Benoit Faucon and Zvi Smith and |
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Israel’s recent war with Iran served as a cautionary tale for countries with sophisticated missile defenses and those that seek to have them. Over 12 days, Iran pierced Israel’s defenses with increasing success, showing that even the world’s most advanced systems can be penetrated.
While most of Iran’s missiles and drones were knocked down, Tehran changed tactics and found gaps in Israel’s armor through trial and error.
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In the first half of the conflict, 8% of Iran’s missiles slipped through Israel’s defenses. By the second half of the war, 16% got past Israel’s interceptors, according to data from the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America, or JINSA.
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Iran’s most successful set of attacks came on June 22, two days before the end of the war, when 10 out of 27 missiles hit Israel, according to the JINSA data. The data suggest that Iran successfully adapted “how, when and what” it was firing, said Ari Cicurel, associate director of foreign policy at JINSA.