Israeli army says air defences failing to intercept up to 10% of Iranian ballistic missiles

Israel’s air defences are failing to intercept between five and 10 percent of Iranian ballistic missiles, the Israeli army alleged on Monday, as it provided its first statistics of the war with Iran.

The army claims it has successfully managed to shoot down between 80 and 90 percent of the Iranian missiles, The Jerusalem Post reported.

But according to the report, the army says it is "constantly adjusting strategies" and trying to understand how Iran carries out its attacks, as Iran itself adjusts to try and "outplay" Israel’s defences.

Israel’s multilayered and multi-billion-dollar air defence system is made up of the Iron Dome - its major component - the Arrow, David’s Sling, and Iron Beam, each used for different purposes and with different effective ranges.

Since the start of the war, Iran has retaliated to Israeli airstrikes by bombarding major cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa with large salvos of ballistic missiles.

Most of Iran’s missile attacks have focused on Tel Aviv and central Israel, the Haifa area in northern Israel, and the Beersheba area in the south, the Jerusalem Post said.

While most of the Iranian projectiles are intercepted, some have hit their targets and have managed to cause extensive damage, sometimes surprising observers.

Video footage has shown several instances of Israel’s defence system unsuccessfully trying to shoot down missiles before they make impact.

Overnight Monday, a barrage of around 40 ballistic missiles was fired, which Israel said led to deaths.

Israel has said carrying out what it calls "preemptive strikes" on Iran is its best strategy, as it is unable to intercept all Iranian missiles.

On Monday, the Israeli army claimed it had destroyed one-third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers and dozens of other important military assets.

The Israeli army has advised people to take shelter in safe rooms or even stairwells when sirens go off, saying that most deaths were caused by people who had not hidden in bunkers.