Israel has begun rationing its most advanced missile interceptors amid sustained Iranian barrages, shifting to upgraded versions of lower-tier systems in some cases and allowing certain incoming threats to proceed if they appear headed for open areas. The policy aims to preserve limited stocks of high-end munitions as the conflict with Iran enters its fifth week.
Two Iranian ballistic missiles struck southern towns of Arad and Dimona after failed intercept attempts using modified lower-tier munitions. Thirty-one people, including 18 children, were hospitalized in Arad—nine seriously—and five individuals received hospital treatment in Dimona. The towns lie near Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona and several military bases, including Nevatim Air Base, giving the strikes significance beyond the casualty count.
Israel’s multilayered defense system includes short-range Iron Dome for rockets and drones, midrange David’s Sling for tactical ballistic missiles and longer-range rockets, and long-range Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems designed to intercept ballistic threats at higher altitudes, including exoatmospheric engagements.
Stocks of Arrow interceptors were already depleted following a previous clash with Iran in June 2025. With Iran launching more than 400 missiles and hundreds of drones since the current conflict began, alongside near-daily rocket barrages from Hezbollah, Israeli commanders now evaluate each incoming projectile against finite resources. Officials decide on a case-by-case basis whether to engage and, if so, which system to deploy—sometimes opting not to intercept threats projected to land in unoccupied zones. Software upgrades have extended the reach of David’s Sling and even Iron Dome batteries for longer-range threats, though results remain mixed.
“The number of interceptors of every type is finite,” said Tal Inbar, a senior analyst at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. “As the fighting continues, it dwindles. And as it diminishes, you must make more careful calculations about what to use.”
Ran Kochav, a brigadier general in the reserves and former commander of Israel’s air and missile defense forces, described the approach: “We are trying to stretch [upper-tier systems] to the maximum and distance interception from the ground as much as possible. It works well in some areas, but not others.”
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned the pace is unsustainable: “We are vaporizing many years of production in just a few weeks.”
The conflict has evolved into an attrition battle. Iran produces missiles at lower cost and higher volume than Israel’s sophisticated interceptors, which require years to manufacture. Despite U.S. and Israeli efforts targeting Iranian production sites, the threat remains unresolved.
