Parts of Israel's Iron Dome would be overwhelmed in a full-blown war with Hezbollah, US official says

Thibault Spirlet
·3 min read
78

  • A US official told CNN that parts of Israel's Iron Dome would be overwhelmed in the event of a war.

  • Israel has engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah since October 7.

  • The system's efficacy was called into question after it failed to stop Hamas' attacks last year.

Hezbollah would overwhelm at least some of Israel's Iron Dome batteries in the event of a full-blown war, a US official told CNN.

The unnamed senior administration official said that, according to their assessments, at least some Iron Dome batteries would be "overwhelmed."

According to three unnamed US officials cited by CNN, the US has shared its fears with Israel that its air defenses in the northern part of the country, including the Iron Dome air defense system, could be vulnerable to Hezbollah's enormous arsenal of missiles and drones if a war broke out.

The Iron Dome is arguably the most advanced defense system in operation today.

Two US officials told the outlet that Israeli officials have raised similar concerns, telling the US they believe the Iron Dome could be vulnerable, especially in the north.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging tit-for-tat strikes at the border with Lebanon since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks, with the militant group sometimes striking Israeli military targets.

On Thursday, Hezbollah said it launched dozens of rockets at an Israeli military base in Zar'it, per the Times of Israel.

The Iranian-backed militants fired more than 200 projectiles last week, the Israel Defense Forces said, with some triggering fires but causing no casualties, per the BBC.

Hezbollah also claimed to have struck Israel's Iron Dome air defense system in Ramot Naftali with a guided missile earlier this month, per The New Arab.

A photo of rockets intercepting each other in the night sky.
Missiles launched from the Iron Dome attempt to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

According to Israel, the Iron Dome system has been about 90% effective at intercepting rockets over the last 12 years.

But the October 7 Hamas attacks raised questions about why it wasn't able to stop the militants' strikes that day.

Hamas said it fired 5,000 missiles at Israel in just 20 minutes. Israel said the militant group launched more than 3,000 rockets. It's not clear what proportion of the rockets were intercepted during the attack.

Looking ahead to a future conflict, an Israeli official said Hezbollah would more likely overwhelm Iron Dome batteries if the militant group launched a large-scale strike employing precision-guided weapons, which could be difficult for the system to defend against, CNN reported.

In preparation for a possible attack, Israeli officials told the US that Israel was planning to move resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel, CNN reported, citing the unnamed US officials.

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