missiles
Missiles are the primary offensive instrument of the Iranian-led axis and North Korea, serving as tools for strategic coercion and direct kinetic engagement. As of late July 2026, the conflict has escalated into direct state-on-state missile warfare involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, characterized by high-speed maneuverable projectiles and deep-strike retaliatory operations.
Missiles represent the defining threat to Israeli national security and regional stability. Unlike conventional air forces, missile arsenals allow adversarial regimes to project power across borders with minimal risk to their own personnel. In mid-2026, the long-standing shadow war between Israel and Iran transitioned into direct kinetic conflict. The Iranian Escalation. July 2026 saw a massive expansion of missile operations. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted not only Israeli population centers but also U.S. regional assets in Jordan, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf. Recent reports indicate that Iran has adapted to Western defenses by fielding high-speed, maneuverable missiles, potentially aided by Russian or Chinese targeting assistance. Significant strikes have targeted the Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base in Jordan, which the U.S. described as an attempted 'surprise attack.' The Allied Response. The United States and Israel have moved from defensive interception to offensive neutralization. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has conducted sustained nightly airstrikes—reaching nine consecutive nights by late July—targeting Iranian 'missile cities' and storage facilities in locations such as Yazd, Shiraz, and Tabriz. These operations aim to degrade the infrastructure used to threaten international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and regional bases. Regional Proliferation. Beyond the immediate Israel-Iran theater, the missile threat has expanded to include strikes on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. North Korea remains a critical node, with reports of a 2.5-fold increase in production. Meanwhile, the demand for defensive interceptors has surged globally, with Ukraine reportedly requesting hundreds of Patriot missiles to bolster its air defense. For Israel, the challenge remains multi-layered: maintaining a sophisticated defense architecture—from Iron Dome to the Arrow system—while conducting deep-strike operations to dismantle enemy launch capabilities before they can be deployed.