Iran is preparing to launch a new wave of missile strikes against Israel “within hours,” according to official statements and reports from Russian-aligned outlets, as tensions between the two countries spiral into what regional analysts now call a state of open war.
The warning, issued late Monday afternoon by Iranian military sources and carried by Russian agency EADaily, urges Israeli civilians to seek immediate shelter, suggesting that new attacks are imminent. The report follows the earlier launch of “Operation True Promise III,” a massive Iranian retaliation campaign in response to Israeli strikes on military and nuclear facilities in Tehran and Isfahan.
But this next phase may be different. In a controversial claim that has rattled defense circles, Iranian and Russian analysts allege that Iran successfully compromised Israel’s famed Iron Dome system during recent missile exchanges—using targeted electronic jamming to trick or disable interceptors mid-flight.
Iron Dome under pressure
According to a detailed breakdown by Sputnik International, Iran utilized a combination of “inertial decoy drones,” hypersonic warheads, and electromagnetic interference to reduce Iron Dome’s interception rate to as low as 10–15%. Russian defense analyst Yuri Knutov claimed that the jamming “confused Iron Dome’s radar and fire-control systems,” leading to friendly-fire scenarios and failed intercepts.
No independent Western verification has confirmed these figures. However, damage assessments from last weekend’s attack, including penetrations in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Bat Yam, have raised urgent questions about the Israeli system’s vulnerability to advanced electronic warfare.
During the June 2025 missile barrages launched by Iran, multiple reports confirmed that Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system came under extreme stress, resulting in several successful missile penetrations into populated areas. According to The Times, four elderly civilians were killed and 87 others injured when Iranian ballistic missiles bypassed Israel’s interceptors and struck cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa. Panic gripped neighborhoods as sirens blared across central Israel, with emergency shelters quickly filling up.
While Israeli officials claimed that a majority of incoming threats were intercepted, defense analysts acknowledged that Iran’s saturation tactics and advanced projectiles revealed serious vulnerabilities. Economic Times reported that Iran used a coordinated strategy of “hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones” to overload Israel’s defense grid, possibly reducing Iron Dome’s efficiency below its expected 90% mark.
According to The Australian, the psychological toll of the attacks, describing how some residents in Bat Yam ignored sirens out of fatigue—only to be killed when a missile struck their building. Although Israel’s Ministry of Defense has not publicly confirmed any electronic interference, the operational strain and volume of projectiles clearly diminished Iron Dome’s protective shield, leaving citizens alarmed and analysts calling for urgent upgrades.
Israel braces for more attacks
The new Iranian threats have put the country on high alert. The IDF has issued shelter advisories across central Israel, and Jerusalem’s Home Front Command advised citizens to prepare for additional air raid sirens. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Israeli Cabinet held an emergency session Monday night as drone traffic over the Golan Heights increased and missile alerts briefly activated in the Negev region.
Israel’s military doctrine has so far relied on a three-layered missile defense strategy: Iron Dome for short-range rockets, David’s Sling for medium-range threats, and Arrow-3 for high-altitude ballistic missiles. However, this layered defense system is being tested in real-time against Iranian salvos, decoys, and swarms—many of them launched simultaneously in coordinated phases.
Civilian casualties mount on both sides
The Iranian Health Ministry, confirmed that Israeli airstrikes between June 13–15, 2025 resulted in 224 deaths and over 1,200 injuries, with approximately 90 percent of casualties reported as civilians, primarily concentrated in Tehran and its surroundings, according to reuters. Iranian officials added that critical civilian infrastructure—including roads and telecommunications networks—suffered extensive damage, causing widespread internet outages and mobility disruptions . Visual evidence from agencies such as Reuters and DW notably captured scenes of destroyed apartment blocks and fuel depot blazes, reinforcing the severity of the aftermath.
On the Israeli side, retaliatory Iranian missile and drone launches—branded “Operation True Promise III”—saw over 270 projectiles fired toward Israel, of which approximately 22 penetrated defense systems, resulting in at least 24 civilian fatalities and hundreds of injuries, according to Associate Press.
Reuters described blasted residential blocks in Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, where four people were killed and dozens more wounded amid the chaos of incoming strikes. This exchange has triggered urgent public safety measures in both countries, with authorities reinforcing air‑raid shelters, advising civilians to stay alert, and raising international apprehension over further escalation.
Israel, meanwhile, confirmed that 14 civilians had died from Iranian missile impacts, with over 300 injured. A refinery in Haifa was struck, and debris was reported near the Dimona nuclear site, although no breach occurred. Flights into Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily halted, according to Times of Israel.
Information war or electronic breakthrough?
Military experts remain divided over whether Iran truly “turned Iron Dome against itself,” as Sputnik alleges, or if Tehran is seizing a propaganda opportunity in a climate already saturated with panic and misinformation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it deployed a “new method” that caused Israel’s multi-layered air-defense systems—including Iron Dome—to target one another during the latest missile barrage, allowing several projectiles to penetrate and strike cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa, according to Associate Press.
Onmanorama’s Reuters summary corroborates this assertion, reporting that missiles “breach(ed) Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ air defence system,” striking residential areas and prompting panic and shelter usage in central Israel.
According to Onmanorama. While Israeli officials maintain that Iron Dome’s overall interception rate remains high—above 80%—the admission of breached missiles underscores a critical vulnerability during sustained saturation attacks that combine ballistic warheads, decoys, drones, and possible electronic interference.
Regional flashpoint and diplomatic collapse
Turkey, China, and Russia have all publicly condemned recent Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian civilian areas, including national broadcasting facilities. According to i24News, Russia and China denounced the attacks during an emergency UN session, calling them violations of Iranian sovereignty and urging restraint.
Reuters confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan jointly condemned Israel’s use of force in a phone call, advocating for an immediate cessation of hostilities and expressing deep concern over the escalating conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pledged severe retaliation in response to Israeli strikes. In a televised address, he warned that Iran would not show leniency and that Israel “will not walk away unharmed,” framing the conflict as a matter of national sovereignty and vows retribution for what he described as “a big mistake” by Israel . Meanwhile, attempts by the United Nations to broker a ceasefire have faltered; a proposed Security Council resolution condemning Israeli attacks on Iranian territory was reportedly blocked by the United States, despite support from Russia and Algeria—highlighting deep global divisions over the conflict.
More escalation likely
With Israel on alert and Iran promising further action within hours, the Middle East is hurtling toward a broader regional war. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia militias in Iraq have already declared high alert. Syria and Jordan have closed their airspace, citing security risks.
Israel’s air force remains in the sky, preparing for new barrages, while cyber units brace for potential Iranian digital attacks. Whether or not Iran’s claims about Iron Dome jamming prove accurate, the psychological and strategic effect is already achieved: Israel is on edge, and the world is watching.
