On Friday night, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles towards Israel, with preliminary reports suggesting that some projectiles impacted Tel Aviv; while the IDF asserts that the majority of missiles were intercepted by its defense systems, residual warheads are confirmed to have struck civilian infrastructure, resulting in at least fifteen casualties currently being treated in Tel Aviv hospitals.

This latest offensive presents a formidable challenge to Israel's air defense apparatus, which, since the commencement of hostilities on October 7, 2023, has been engaged in intercepting a fusillade of projectiles originating from diverse state and non-state actors. While the United States has augmented these efforts, employing terrestrial-based anti-ballistic systems to neutralize Iranian ordnance, Israel has, for the preceding year, largely managed its own defense through a sophisticated, multi-tiered architecture capable of detecting and neutralizing incoming projectiles targeting densely populated or strategically sensitive areas. This layered defense matrix encompasses the Arrow system, designed for exoatmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles; David's Sling, optimized for medium-range engagements; and the Iron Dome, purposed for close-in interception of short-range rockets; furthermore, Israel is currently developing the Iron Beam, a directed-energy weapon system leveraging laser technology for threat neutralization.