Why have 24 people died in the Iranian missile attacks? - A look at Israel’s air defenses and the necessity of safe rooms
As of Monday afternoon, June 16, 24 people have been killed in ballistic missile attacks launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in retaliation for the launching of Operation Rising Lion by Israel.
On Monday morning, the Ministry of Defense announced its first figures regarding civilian casualties and the effectiveness of its aerial defense system after it was announced that eight people had been killed in the latest attack.
The defense ministry said that around 370 ballistic missile launches have been detected from Iran since the start of Operation Rising Lion early Friday morning.
In those launches, a total of 24 people have been killed, while 592 people have been injured. Ten of those are listed in serious condition, 36 in moderate condition, while the remaining 546 have minor injuries.
So far, Iran has launched eight barrages of surface-to-surface missiles, each consisting of 30 to 100 missiles. Reports indicate that Iran has been attempting to fire larger barrages – aiming for hundreds of missiles per wave – but the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has apparently degraded its launch capabilities more than the Islamic Republic anticipated.
In each barrage, around 5-10% of missiles evade interception for a variety of reasons. In numbers, that represents about 6-10 ballistic missiles that have impacted during each wave. On average, the military says that between 80-90% of launches are intercepted, with much of the remainder falling partly in open areas and partly in built-up areas.
According to the IDF’s policy, missiles predicted to land in open areas, or sporadically occupied areas, are not intercepted, partially in order to prevent wasting the interceptor rockets.
The latest volley of missiles from Iran have included large ballistic missiles with warheads ranging from almost half a ton (metric), to a full metric ton (roughly 2,200 pounds). Besides the explosive force of the warhead, these missiles hit with high kinetic energy, due to their travel outside the earth’s atmosphere.
That destructive force has been seen in several of the photos and videos coming out of the impacted areas.
While 24 civilian deaths is undoubtedly a tragic toll – devastating for each family affected – the reality is that Israel’s aerial defense systems, along with the widespread presence of bomb shelters and safe rooms in homes, have kept civilian casualties and fatalities remarkably low.
Israel’s Home Front Command has developed an advanced warning system which often provides notice to seek shelter between 8-10 minutes ahead of the arrival of the missiles to Israel. This warning, while not as exact, provides plenty of advance notice for civilians to reach protected rooms, or public bomb shelters.
Following that, are automatically generated notices alerting civilians to immediately enter their nearest shelter or safe room. In the case of the Iranian ballistic missile attacks, these warnings usually happen about one and a half minutes before the arrival of the missiles, and provide enough time to enter the safe room and close the blast resistant doors.
While the safe rooms and bomb shelters are not a fail-proof way to prevent civilian casualties, as was seen in the death of two people in Petah Tikvah this morning, when a ballistic missile made a direct impact on the safe room, the Home Front Command affirms that they represent the most secure place during an attack. Of the 24 deaths in the current conflict, 22 out of 24 were a result of people not being in their safe rooms or public bomb shelters, despite receiving warnings by Home Front Command to seek shelter.
Home Front Command chief Brig. Gen. Liron Donnell said that it is important for citizens to obey the instructions, as that saves lives.
“As much as possible, we ask citizens to stay in a protected and functional safe place when an alarm sounds. It saves lives,” Brig. Gen. Donnell said. “From what we learned from the sites of the strikes, people who were in the shelter were not harmed.”
“Civilian behavior saves lives and dramatically reduces casualties on the home front,” Donnell continued. “Even when we look at the recent destruction sites, we see clearly: Those who were in protected places were saved.”
Another issue effecting the number of civilian deaths is the effectiveness of Israel’s aerial defense system.
Israel relies on a multi-layered air defense system, which has demonstrated its effectiveness repeatedly since the start of the Iron Swords War, following Oct. 7, 2023.
While many people outside Israel are familiar with the Iron Dome aerial defense array, that system is designed to handle smaller rockets and drones, such as those launched by Hamas and Hezbollah. Iron Dome is not built to intercept ballistic missiles, or even medium-range surface-to-surface missiles.
The second layer of Israel’s sir defense system is the David’s Sling system along with the U.S. Patriot missile defense system, which intercept larger rockets and medium-range surface-to-surface missiles, such as those used by Hezbollah to target the Tel Aviv area.
However, on Monday morning, Israeli journalist Doron Kadosh reported that David’s Sling was used for the first time to intercept an Iranian ballistic missile during a recent barrage. This was later confirmed by the Alma research institute.
}For the first time ever, the David's Sling air defense system successfully intercepted rockets from the Gaza Strip fired at Tel Aviv. David's Sling along with the Iron Dome, Arrow, and Patriot systems make up Israel's air defense shield. pic.twitter.com/VaC7uMYtad
— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) May 10, 2023
For most of the ballistic missiles being launched by Iran, Israel relies on two systems, the Israeli-developed Arrow system, and the U.S. THAAD system. While both are designed to intercept ballistic missiles at very high altitudes, including outside Earth’s atmosphere, the two work slightly differently. Arrow uses an explosive head to detonate next to the incoming missile, destroying it, while the THAAD system has no explosive, and relies solely on the kinetic energy of impact to destroy the incoming missile.
According to the IDF, these systems have been able to successfully intercept between 10-20% of all incoming Iranian missiles.
Out of the 370 missiles launched at Israel so far, only 30 were reported to have impacted.
Iran has launched its missiles in waves, in an attempt to overwhelm the Israeli system, hoping that a few missiles would still make it through.
While they remain unconfirmed, there have also been reports that Iran has used its Fateh 1 hypersonic missiles in the attacks. An Iranian military source told Iran’s Tasnim news that Iran had deployed the missiles against Israel, and that the IDF had not been able to intercept them.
Nearly all missiles Iran fired in this wave were 20-30 year old models, but watch the single newer-generation missile that struck Haifa. Then watch the electricity go out.
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) June 14, 2025
Wait until Iran empties its old stockpile. Then things will get more interesting for the genocidal regime. pic.twitter.com/OJnggRZhPW
Hypersonic missiles are harder to intercept due to their higher speed and their ability to maneuver in flight to evade aerial defense systems.
So far, the IDF has not confirmed reports of hypersonic missiles being used in the attacks.
Besides its multilayered aerial defense system, Israel has also been working to reduce the ballistic missile threat by targeting Iran’s launchers and missile stockpiles.
On Monday afternoon, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that the IAF had destroyed “over 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers, amounting to one-third of the launchers in the hands of the Iranian regime.”
⭕️WATCH: The IAF identified and eliminated surface-to-air missile launch troops seconds before they reached a launcher south of Tehran. The troops were eliminated and the launcher was dismantled.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025
The IAF continues to operate to achieve air superiority across Iran. pic.twitter.com/h9eIK8SWCO
Several military analysts have also noted a decreasing volume of missiles launched in each barrage since the start of Operation Rising Lion, indicating that Israel is reducing Iran’s ability to launch high-volume barrages.
What did the IAF accomplish in Iran last night?
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025
❌20+ surface-to-surface missiles were dismantled minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel’s home front.
🎯Approx. 100 military targets were struck in Isfahan, central Iran.
✈️Around 50 fighter jets and aircraft… pic.twitter.com/8FLXjp6qI0
The degradation of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, along with Israel’s sophisticated aerial defense system, should lead to fewer casualties and deaths in the coming days, even as the war effort continues.
J. Micah Hancock is a current Master’s student at the Hebrew University, pursuing a degree in Jewish History. Previously, he studied Biblical studies and journalism in his B.A. in the United States. He joined All Israel News as a reporter in 2022, and currently lives near Jerusalem with his wife and children.
