Iran’s Secret War Tactics: Is Electronic Warfare and GPS Spoofing Crippling Israel’s Air Defense?

Iran-Israel Conflict: The ongoing military conflict between Iran and Israel has now reached a decisive turning point—a stage where the true test lies not just in firepower, but in the prowess of technology and strategy. Serious questions are being raised about the strength of Israel’s much-touted, state-of-the-art air defense system, once considered one of the most trusted in the world.

Reports from prestigious Western media outlets like NBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal claim that the Israeli air defense system managed to intercept only 65% of Iranian ballistic missiles in the past 24 hours — a significant drop from the earlier 90%. This figure is not only strategically concerning but also serves as a grave warning regarding Israel's national security readiness.

Falling Effectiveness of the Israeli Defense System

According to The New York Times, Iran has so far fired around 400 ballistic missiles at Israel, out of which approximately 40 have hit Israeli territory. Other media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek, have also highlighted this declining interception rate as a sign of potential strategic failure.

Perhaps the most alarming factor is the rapid depletion of Israel’s stockpile of 'Arrow' interceptor missiles. Analysts believe that the Israeli military may have shifted to a policy of “selective interception” — meaning only those missiles deemed to be targeting high-value assets are being intercepted, while others are allowed to fall in less critical areas.

Iranian Missile Technology Becoming More Sophisticated

Defense experts assert that Iran has begun using more advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles, which are technically more difficult to intercept. These missiles, due to their high speed and evasive maneuverability, significantly reduce the response time for Israel’s air defense units.

According to Israeli intelligence sources, earlier they used to get 10–11 minutes of warning time after detecting a missile launch. Now, that window has shrunk to just 6–7 minutes, placing enormous stress on defensive readiness.

Additionally, Iran has also deployed missiles containing more than 20 sub-munitions (small warheads) — a tactic Israel describes as a cluster bomb approach. This has put extra pressure on short-range systems like the Iron Dome, which are now being consumed at a higher rate.

Is Iran Using Electronic Warfare?

Former Indian Air Force pilot Vijayendra K. Thakur, writing in the Eurasian Times, has suggested that Iran’s electronic warfare capabilities may also be undermining Israel’s defense systems. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that they employed “new methods” in their recent missile operations, which led to confusion in Israel’s air defense network — in some cases, allegedly causing interceptors to target each other.

While these claims remain unverified by independent sources, videos surfacing online do show Arrow interceptor missiles veering off course, adding weight to speculation. Notably, Iran has previously used GPS spoofing in 2011 to successfully bring down a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone. If similar techniques are now being used against Israel’s high-tech defenses, the implications are dire.

Defense or Gamble? Israel’s ‘Smart but Risky’ Strategy

Reports suggest that Israeli forces are now analyzing missile trajectories before deciding to intercept. If a missile appears to be heading toward an open or sparsely populated area, it is often left unchallenged.

While this approach may help conserve interceptor resources, it also carries immense risk — especially if a miscalculation allows a missile to hit a high-value target. Strategically, this may be economically sound, but from a military standpoint, it is considered tactically dangerous.

Is Israeli Military Dominance at Risk?

This sharp decline in interception capability now points toward more than just a technical shortcoming — it signals a potential national security crisis. For decades, the Israeli military has been seen as invincible, but it now appears to be struggling against the dual pressures of depleting resources and emerging threats.

If Iran has indeed gained an upper hand in hypersonic missile technology and electronic warfare, then this conflict is no longer just a physical battle — it’s a war being fought over systems, sensors, and strategy. For Israel, the battlefield may be shifting from the skies to the circuits.