How Israel Stops Ballistic Missiles from Iran and Yemen Before They Hit

Iran wants Israel gone. That’s not a conspiracy theory, it’s their official policy. They force their children to chant “Death to Israel” every morning in public schools.

Tehran - May ‎3, ‎2024, A billboard to show Iran's ballistic missiles fired at Israel. Written by: honest promise, which is the name of Iran's retaliatory operation against Israel's occupation regime, Shutterstock

In October 2024, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones toward Israel in a single night. That was the first time in history that the Islamic Republic fired directly at the Jewish state from its own territory. And make no mistake: this won’t be the last time, unless they are stopped once and for all, but that's for another article.

Add to that the Houthis in Yemen—another Iranian proxy—who’ve been lobbing long-range missiles toward Israel like it’s sport, nearly on a daily basis. These aren’t pipe bombs or glorified bottle rockets. These are military-grade ballistic missiles, capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles. They’re meant to just sow fear. They’re meant to kill. They’re meant to make Israel kneel. But they’re not getting through and here's why.

From Launch to Interception—Every Second Counts

Israel’s defense isn’t lucky. It’s strategic, surgical, and stunningly effective. Right when an enemy fires a ballistic missile, Israeli radar systems pick it up—almost instantly. We're talking within seconds. The trajectory, the velocity, and the estimated impact zone are calculated in real-time. Not minutes later. Not when it’s already on top of us. Right away.

The Green Pine radar and other sensors immediately begin coordinating with the Arrow missile defense system. At that point, it’s a race against physics. Where is the ideal point to intercept the missile? How can we blow it out of the sky without endangering civilians on the ground? After all these questions are answered (again, every second counts), Arrow 2 or Arrow 3 is fired—depending on the altitude and speed of the incoming threat.

Arrow 3 is a beast. It hunts down missiles in space. Yes, outer space. It has been used several times to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from Yemen before it even got near Israeli airspace. That’s not defense—that’s domination.

The view in Jerusalem as Iran fired ballistic missiles into Israel on October 1, 2024

The Iranian Attack That Failed

Let’s talk about October 2024. Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli targets in a massive two-wave assault. Most of the world expected massive damage and casualties. But instead, they got a masterclass in missile defense. The Israeli Air Force, the Arrow systems, Arab partners, and American cooperation in the skies stopped 99% of the threats. Most of the ballistic missiles were intercepted in the upper atmosphere—some even outside the atmosphere.

Not a single critical site was hit. Not one.

The Iranians aimed at military headquarters near Tel Aviv—specifically the Glilot base, where they say Mossad and Unit 8200 operate. You know what they hit? Nothing. What was supposed to be a second Pearl Harbor became an embarrassing failure for the regime in Tehran.

And the Houthis? They've tried the same stunt multiple times—sending long-range rockets toward Eilat, and ballistic missiles toward central Israel, hoping to exploit Israel’s focus on the northern front and Gaza. And every single time, those rockets are intercepted. Arrow and David’s Sling go to work, and the skies stay clean.

Fragment of an Iranian missile that fell near Road 31 (Arad - Dead Sea), during a ballistic missile attack from Iran against Israel on the evening of October 1, 2024, Lizzy Shaanan Pikiwiki Israel

Tech Is Great—But People Matter More

Now here’s where it gets even smarter. Israel isn’t just protecting its airspace. It’s protecting its people.

The Israeli Home Front Command, taked with keeping the Israeli people alerted, up-to-date and aware, has rolled out a new feature that’s changing how civilians respond to threats. If you’re in Israel and have their app on your phone, you’ll now get a pop-up message before the siren goes off. It’ll tell you that a siren is coming in 3–5 minutes. You’ll have a few precious minutes to get to a bomb shelter.

The Arrow anti-ballistic missile aerial defense system

This is the reality in Israel: knowing that at any moment, a missile could be launched from other countries—and having just minutes to react. Pop-up alerts telling you that a siren is coming. Kids growing up knowing exactly where the nearest bomb shelter is. It’s not normal. It shouldn’t be normal. But this is how we live. And somehow, we keep going. You have to ask yourself—how would other countries handle this kind of pressure, day in and day out? Would they last a week?

The World Yawns, Israel Stands

The world sees these attacks and shrugs. The UN will condemn Israel the moment it fires back. The Western media will whine about “escalation” and “cycles of violence.” But Israel isn’t interested in lectures. It’s interested in survival.

When your enemies want you dead, you don’t negotiate. You prepare. You intercept. You respond. And you pray. Not for mercy from your enemies—but for the wisdom to outsmart them every single time.

A Nation That Doesn’t Sleep

The Bible said it best. “Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). That’s not a metaphor. That’s a policy. That’s how a tiny nation surrounded by enemies survives and thrives. Because Israel doesn’t wait to be a victim. It plans. It builds. It acts.

And it wins. Every time.

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