Israel’s military says it now holds complete air superiority over Iranian skies, enabling it to destroy missile launchers and supplies before they fire, drastically reducing the number of missiles reaching Israeli territory amid the ongoing conflict.

Israel Claims Full Aerial Control Over Tehran

According to the Israeli military, its fighter jets have destroyed more than one-third of Iran’s known missile launchers, with many targeted just moments before launch. This includes a loaded “Emad” ballistic missile eliminated on Wednesday. Since claiming air control over Tehran earlier this week, Israel has intensified preemptive strikes on missile stocks, radar arrays, and mobile launchers.

The result: Iran’s missile barrages have dropped from 200 fired across four waves last weekend to just 60 missiles over eight smaller waves between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Iranian Missile Strategy Disrupted

Iran initially planned to overwhelm Israel’s defenses by firing 400 missiles per day, said Farzin Nadimi of the Washington Institute. “Those plans were shattered when Israel defeated Iran’s integrated air defenses in a very short time,” he noted.

Still, Iran is believed to retain a large stockpile. It began the conflict with roughly 2,000 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel, and has used about 400 to date.

Experts now say Iran may be holding back its most advanced weapons—such as the hypersonic Fattah-1—for critical strategic strikes. These missiles, capable of mid-flight maneuvers at extreme speed, pose a serious challenge to existing Israeli air defenses, which lack dedicated hypersonic interceptors.

U.S. Worries About Depletion of Defenses

While Israel has not reported casualties since Tuesday, earlier Iranian missile strikes killed 24 people. Israeli dominance has allowed limited re-openings in public life, including the first flight to land at Ben Gurion Airport since the conflict began.

However, former national security adviser Yaakov Amidror cautioned that Iran could shift tactics or strike from more distant launch sites, increasing risks. U.S. officials, meanwhile, remain concerned that if interceptors run low—either in Israel or in U.S. reserves—Iran might resume large-scale barrages designed to overwhelm air defenses.