Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

March 3, 2026 | Cameron McMillan, Justin Leopold-Cohen, Bradley Bowman

US and Israel race to defeat Iranian missiles and drones following early campaign successes

The United States and Israel launched an ambitious, large-scale war against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, and US officials have communicated several goals for the campaign. Speaking to reporters...

August 23, 2025 | |

Israel Probes Launch for Possible Submunitions After Houthi Attack

Friday Night Attack: The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at Israel on August 22, setting off sirens throughout large swaths of the country just after...

August 18, 2025 | Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst

The urgent need to procure more THAAD interceptors

The U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense “Talon” interceptor inventory is unacceptably low, potentially leaving U.S. forces vulnerable in a future conflict. The service reportedly consumed nearly...

July 2, 2025 | |

Israeli Assessment of Recent Conflict With Iran Reveals 86 Percent Success Rate in Missile Interception

Billions of Dollars in Damage Prevented: The Israeli Defense Ministry reported that its aerial defenses successfully intercepted 86 percent of ballistic missiles launched by Iran...

June 16, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

More than 30 Iranian ballistic missiles strike Israel in 4 days of war, over 370 launched

At least 30 Iranian ballistic missiles have landed in Israel since the beginning of the recent conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13. Iran has launched more than 370 missiles at Israel...

June 16, 2025 | Cameron McMillan, Ryan Brobst

U.S. Forces in the Middle East: Under Attack and Defending Israel

U.S. forces are under attack in the Middle East. U.S. officials stated on June 14 that three drones had been launched at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed. The drones were almost certainly fired by Iranian-backed proxies and were intercepted before hitting their targets. The attack comes amid renewed threats from Tehran, which has vowed to continue strikes against Israel and said it would attack U.S. bases as the U.S. military helps defend the Jewish state from Iran’s long-range missile and drone barrages.

June 14, 2025 | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Ben Cohen

Iran’s lies about its nuclear plans finally at an end

Iran’s nuclear weapons strategy lies in tatters in the wake of this week’s extensive, and ongoing, targeted Israeli strikes.  Ever since the Islamic Regime’s clandestine program to obtain...

June 14, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel’s home front faces Iranian missile, drone attacks

On the first day of the conflict between Israel and Iran that began early in the morning on June 13, Israel was struck by approximately 10 Iranian missiles that penetrated the country’s defenses....

April 8, 2025 | Janatan Sayeh |

Iran braces for possible US attack amid proxy setbacks

An anonymous Iranian official told Reuters on April 6 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has instructed Iranian armed forces to be on high alert. The source also said Tehran has...

December 28, 2024 | Janatan Sayeh |

Iran’s waning influence in the Arab world

The League of Arab States, based in Cairo and comprising 22 nations, issued a pointed rebuke of Iran’s ambitions in Syria on December 26, stating, “The Arab League rejects the recent Iranian...

November 14, 2024 | Jack Burnham |

Beijing Displays New Stealth Fighter Jet at China’s Premier Air Show

The state-sponsored biennial Airshow China, which marked the 75th anniversary of China’s air forces, began on Tuesday with the unveiling of several key aerial platforms, most notably the J-35A stealth...

November 10, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Mustafa Barghouti: ‘Resistance’ succeeding in West Bank, Israel’s war will fail

Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti’s interview with Iran media provides insights into how some Palestinians today view the war unfolding in Gaza and Iran’s role.

November 4, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran wants to hold region hostage with ‘retaliation op’

Iran has preferred to keep the retaliation cycle going by continuing to claim it has an open account with Israel and could carry out new attacks.

October 26, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

The key takeaways from Israel’s strikes on Iran

Iran now feels it can launch ballistic missiles at Israel whenever it wants.

October 18, 2024 | Janatan Sayeh |

The ‘How’ over the ‘What:’ Israel’s dilemma beyond target selection in Iran

Israel’s war cabinet has reportedly agreed on what Iranian targets to strike in response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack. So, the question now is what method Israel will employ to carry...

October 18, 2024 | Will Selber |

The lights are still blinking red—Sunni Islamists and Iran are determined to attack the homeland

As the US election comes down the final stretch, the radical Islamic terrorism threat continues to metastasize—at home and abroad. On October 8, the FBI arrested an Afghan man who authorities...

October 16, 2024 | Bradley Bowman, Cameron McMillan, Lydia LaFavor

U.S. Deploys THAAD Battery to Israel

An advance team of U.S. military personnel and equipment arrived in Israel on Monday as part of the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as Israel considers its response...

September 10, 2024 | Ryan Brobst, Bradley Bowman, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Don’t over-concentrate US forces in the Middle East

US military bases in the Persian Gulf confront two problems. The first is the growing missile and drone capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The other is that some Arab partners restrict the Pentagon’s...

November 7, 2023 | |

Pentagon Deploys Ohio-Class Guided Missile Submarine to the Middle East 

Latest Developments  An Ohio-class guided missile submarine (SSGN) arrived in the Middle East on November 5, according to a press release by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Capable of carrying...

October 25, 2023 | |

U.S. Deploys Additional Air and Missile Defenses to Middle East

In response to “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has directed the deployment of additional air and missile defense systems...