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Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, April 14, 2024. (AP) Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, April 14, 2024. (AP)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, April 14, 2024. (AP)

Sara Swann
By Sara Swann April 15, 2024

Most of Iran’s missiles were intercepted but some reached Israel

If Your Time is short

  • Israeli officials said 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran were intercepted before they reached Israel.

  • Some ballistic missiles reached Israel, causing damage to a military base and severely injuring a 7-year-old girl.

  • U.S. officials said about half of Iran’s missiles failed to launch or crashed before reaching their intended targets.

  • No spin, just facts you can trust. Here’s how we do it.

After Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel, some social media users misleadingly claimed all the projectiles were completely blocked before reaching Israel.

An April 14 Threads post said, "How embarrassing for Iran that not even one rocket hit Israel. In fact one rocket landed back in Iran. LONG LIVE ISRAEL!!!"

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

(Screengrab from Threads)

Israeli military officials said 99% of the more than 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran and Iran-backed groups operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq were intercepted.

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Over the course of five hours starting late April 13, Iran and its allies fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Israel’s multilayered defense system, with support from the militaries of the U.S., the United Kingdom and France, intercepted most of the drones and missiles.

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Israeli officials said "a small number" of ballistic missiles reached Israel, causing damage to a military base, CNN reported. One person was seriously injured in the attack: a 7-year-old girl living in a Bedouin community in Israel’s southern Negev desert, The New York Times reported. No deaths have been reported.

U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that about half of Iran’s ballistic missiles failed to launch or crashed before reaching their intended targets.

We rate the claim that "not even one rocket (from Iran) hit Israel" False.

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More by Sara Swann

Most of Iran’s missiles were intercepted but some reached Israel

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