Overnight on 14 April, Iran launched a massive air attack against Israel, firing 170 suicide drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that Israeli air defenses successfully intercepted 99% of these, with all drones and 25 of the cruise missiles being neutralized outside Israeli airspace by Israel and its allies, as per the Times of Israel. The long-range Arrow air defense system was effective against many of the 120 ballistic missiles, although a few managed to bypass the defenses and struck the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel.
Last night’s Iranian attack on Israel featured a composition similar to that of Russian strikes on Ukraine, in which Russia has actively experimented with various combinations of ballistic and cruise missiles coupled with Iranian drones, aiming to identify the most effective package to penetrate and overcome Western air and missile defense systems, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War.