Name: Iran Has More Missiles Than Israel Has Interceptors. Now What? | WSJ
Uploaded: 2025-06-19T10:53:56.000Z
Duration: 4 min 43 s
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For days, Israel's defenses have largely held up against Iran's missile attacks.

But there's a growing concern that Israel is burning through its defensive weapons.

And its arrow interceptors, which play a key role in taking out Iran's ballistic missiles, are in short supply, according to a U.S. official.

The United States, which has been helping Israel shoot down threats, is also expending its munitions.

The U.S. official and analysts familiar with the numbers say that Iran has more missiles than Israel and the U.S. have interceptors, raising concerns about Israel's ability to defend itself long term.

So here's what the interceptor shortfall means for Israel, its allies, and the broader Middle East.

Israel uses different systems to provide a multi-layered defense of its airspace.

The Arrow 3 is considered the crown jewel of this network.

With a range of about 1,500 miles, the Arrow 3 is used to counter long-range ballistic missiles, including those that fly above the Earth's atmosphere.

Arrow 3 has been critical in countering attacks from Iran and Yemen, and it can intercept threats before they cross into Israel's airspace.

The Arrow 2, an older version of the system, is also used to intercept short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.

Then there's David's Sling, primarily used to counter medium-range ballistic missiles, among other threats.

And finally, the Iron Dome, which is used to shoot down short-range threats like rockets from Gaza.

Experts say the Iron Dome is not playing a major role in this current conflict with Iran, and that the Arrow systems and David's Sling have been key.

Even though some missiles have slipped through, Israel's layered defense has proven to be extremely effective.

Israel says its interception rate for ballistic missiles is about 90 percent, and of the 370 missiles fired by Iran in recent days, about 30 have made an impact as of June 17th.

But as Tom Carrico, the director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, put it to me, the capability is not the question, it's the capacity that matters.

And capacity could be a huge problem, because Arrows play a key role in shooting down not just Iran's ballistic missiles, but also threats from Iranian proxy groups like the Houthis in Yemen.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said, The IDF is prepared and ready to handle any scenario.

Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on matters related to munitions.

Israel doesn't talk about how many interceptors it has, because if its enemies knew that number, they would know how many missiles to fire at the country.

The company that makes the Arrow interceptors, IAI, did not respond to requests for comment.

Back in December, Israel's defense ministry struck a deal with IAI to make more Arrow 3 interceptors.

However, the Arrows are complex missiles that cost more than $2 million a piece and take time to produce.

Analysts say, in general, defensive weapons are harder and more expensive to make than offensive weapons because they have to be more sophisticated and more precise than the missiles they're designed to take out.

Plus, in some cases, you have to fire several interceptors in order to neutralize a missile.

That's why Israel has been focused on taking out Iran's missile and drone capabilities on the ground during its aerial campaign.

The IDF says it has dismantled more than one-third of Iran's missile launchers.

But Iran has still been able to launch volleys of missiles at Israel.

The United States, aware of Israel's interceptor capacity issues for months, has been augmenting the country's defenses.

We are full of gratitude and thanks for the defensive systems that the United States has put in play.

There's the ground-based THAAD system, which can intercept missiles inside or outside the  And the U.S. has sent Navy ships into the region, which can counter missiles with SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 interceptors.

Plus, fighter jets can shoot down drones, missiles, and other threats.

And I can say with authority that they have saved hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives over the past four days since Iran has been firing these ballistic missiles into our population centers.

But U.S. interceptors aren't unlimited, either.

For example, defense documents show that the U.S. has only procured about 600 THAAD interceptors to date.

So what does all of this mean for the current conflict in the Middle East?

I didn't say I was looking for a ceasefire.

Remember, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Analysts say that whatever happens, officials need to act fast to end the war because the U.S. and Israel can't afford to sit and intercept missiles for an extended period of time.