As air raid sirens wail across parts of the Middle East, a staggering new figure represents Israel’s miscalculation in launching a war on Iran – £6.6 billion.
This is how much it would cost for the Israeli military to intercept each of the estimated 3,000 ballistic missiles Iran is believed to have in its arsenal.
Each of Iran’s fiery blasts intercepted by air defences carries a £2.2 million price tag for Israel.
In response to attacks on its nuclear sites and senior military figures, Iran has unleashed hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel over the last week – and has the capacity to deploy many more.
Few reliable estimates for Iran’s stockpile exist, but it is widely considered to be one of the largest and most advanced in the region.
And some of these high-speed missiles can reach Israeli territory in just 15 minutes.
Dan Caldwell, former senior adviser to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, recently said that most estimates ‘put the number of Iranian missiles that are capable of hitting Israel closer to 2,000.’
Israel uses ‘Arrow’ interceptors – with a range of 1500 miles to defend its skies – but it is running low on them, according to a US official cited by the Wall Street Journal.
They can stop threats before they cross into Israeli airspace, and are one part of Israel’s defensive network that includes David’s Sling and the Iron Dome.
With its most advanced defences burning through billions of pounds, the Israeli military cannot afford for the conflict to continue for a long time.
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defence Project, said: ‘Neither the US nor the Israelis can continue to sit and intercept missiles all day.
‘The Israelis and their friends need to move with all deliberate haste to do whatever needs to be done, because we cannot afford to sit and play catch.’
Neither Israel or its biggest ally the US has actually acknowledged that there is a shortage of interceptors.
The Israeli Defence Forces claimed yesterday that half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers have been destroyed so far in the operation – but that istaken with a pinch of salt.
The ‘Arrow’ system is not the only defensive measure being used against Iran’s missiles.
The US has ground-based Patriot missile defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) systems stationed in the Middle East capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
How do ballistic missiles work?
Israel and Iran are about 1,400 miles apart, so only medium-range ballistic missiles – those capable of travelling over 620 miles – can strike the other.
Unlike cruise missiles which are jet engine powered and fly in a relatively flat trajectory, ballistic missiles are rocket-powered and launched high into the atmosphere before descending back down to reach its intended target.
They can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.
As the detached warhead(s) reenter the Earth’s atmosphere, it can reach a speed greater than 1,988 miles per hour.
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