Since the 2026 Iran war began with a series of attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February 2026, following the breakdown of US-Iran talks and negotiations, locations across Israel have been subject to multiple retaliatory Iranian missile strikes. For several days after the start of hostilities, Israeli airspace was closed, disrupting flights from Ben Gurion Airport and elsewhere in the country. Despite a robust system of missile defense, warning alerts and shelters, Iranian missiles have struck multiple positions across the country. The largest death toll was in a strike on 1 March that targeted a residential neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, kiling nine Israeli civilians.

Background

On 28 February 2026, joint missile attacks were coordinated by the United States and Israel, hitting multiple locations in Iran. US President Donald Trump stated that the attacks were part of an effort to instigate regime change through Iranians taking over their government, among other goals including termination of Iran's nuclear program.Magid, Jacob. "Trump indicates goal of Iran strikes is to topple regime; tells Iranian people: ‘When we’re finished, take over your government’" , The Times of Israel, February 28, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. "US President Donald Trump indicates that the goal of the ongoing strikes in Iran is to topple the regime, and he calls on the Iranian people to seize the opportunity and take over their government." Following the strikes, the Iranian government launched retaliatory strikes across the region, with airstrikes hitting countries across the Persian Gulf, but largely focused on Israel."See where U.S., Israeli strikes have hit Iran and where Iran has retaliated" , The Washington Post, February 28, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026.

Missile and civil defense preparations

Israel has a multi-layered missile defense system that includes the Arrow system of anti-ballistic missiles designed to intercept and destroy missiles launched from Iran and from the Houthis in Yemen, David's Sling to intercept drones and medium-ranged missiles and Iron Dome for shorter-range rockets.Burgess, Annika; Doman, Mark; Shatoba, Katia. "Inside Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow air defence systems" , ABC News, June 16, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2026. "But as hundreds of drones and missiles come flying towards the country, residents put their trust in the country’s multi-layered air defence system to protect them."

After Israel was attacked by Scud missiles in the Gulf War and the challenges and inadequacies of the then-standard communal shelter, the Israeli Home Front Command established upgraded standards for civil defense that included technical specifications for designated protected spaces in all residences, known by its Hebrew acronym as a Mamad.Khachidze, Mikheil. "The Mamad: The Room That Saves Lives in Israel", The Times of Israel, June 23, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2026. "When a rocket siren blares and you have less than 90 seconds to take cover, there’s no time to reach a public shelter. In Israel, survival often depends on one specific room: the Mamad. The Mamad (ממ”ד, acronym for Merchav Mugan Dirati — 'residential protected space') is a reinforced security room required by law in all new residential buildings in Israel since the early 1990s.... Israel’s layered defense system — Iron Dome, early warning systems, and the Home Front Command — is widely admired. But what truly sets it apart is the civilian preparedness philosophy." The Mamad is designed as a reinforced security room offering protection against high-impact projectiles, to withstand blast and shrapnel from conventional weapons and offer protection against chemical and biological weapons, with reinforced concrete walls and ceilings measuring in thickness and airtight / blast-resistant steel doors and windows.Damiata, Roberta. "Cos'è il 'Mamad', la safe room usata dagli israeliani per proteggersi dagli attacchi" , Il Giornale, October 11, 2023. Accessed March 10, 2026. "La superficie del Mamad ad esempio non deve essere inferiore ai 9 mq, con soffitti di 2,5 metri e pareti in cemento armato di almeno 25/30. All'interno devono essere presenti una porta metallica a chiusura stagna in grado di resistere all'onda d'urto di un'esplosione.""Bitter Experiences Drive Israeli Design Practices" , Engineering News-Record, December 1, 2003. Accessed March 10, 2026. "In 1992, IDF’s Home Front Command introduced new technical specifications into civil defense law.... The protected spaces are built to withstand blast and shrapnel from various conventional weapons as well as protection against chemical and biological agents. With reinforced concrete walls, ceilings and floors 20 to 30 cm thick, they feature heavy-duty airtight steel-framed windows and doors."

Sirens are set off to notify residents of the area to seek shelter, usually within 90 seconds of the start of the siren. Missiles from Iran can be detected after launch as early as ten minutes before projected impact and an app created by the Israeli Home Front Command can provide Israeli citizens several minutes of advance notice of a possible siren.Fabian, Emanuel. "Home Front Command deploys new alert system to give earlier warnings for Houthi missiles", The Times of Israel, April 17, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2026. "The Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command announced on Thursday that it was rolling out a new alert system to its mobile app, giving civilians a significantly earlier warning of long-range ballistic missile fire on the country.... Currently, sirens are activated based on the shortest-range threat, regardless of where the missile was launched from. For example, in Tel Aviv, civilians are given 90 seconds to seek shelter — based on rocket fire from Gaza or Lebanon — even if a missile is fired from Yemen, which takes some 10 minutes to reach the country."

Pattern of missile attacks France 24 reported that the number of missile attacks from Iran had dropped sharply by the fifth day of the war, though it acknowledged that the reasons for the decline were "unclear"."Iranian strikes on Israel decrease, although cause remains 'unclear'", France 24, March 4, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. "Israel is seeing a decline in launches from Iran as the campaign enters its fifth day, although reasons for it remain unclear. The announcement from the Israeli military came after it said its air defences had been activated to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and explosions were heard around Jerusalem." An analysis performed by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America showed that there had been a sharp reduction in Iranian missile attacks after the first day of the war, both in attacks targeted against Israel and those aimed at other nations. Their analysis showed that the number of Iranian missiles aimed at Israel was far lower than the numbers launched during the Twelve-Day War in 2025, when the Iranian forces commonly launched large barrages of missiles intended to overwhelm Israel defenses, and hypothesized that the reduction in launches could be attributed to Israeli success in targeting launchers and storage locations in 2025 and joint US-Israeli efforts during the 2026 conflict to eliminate as many as three-quarters of Iranian missile launchers, including those that had been rebuilt in the intervening months.Ciurcel, Ari. "Iran’s Missile Firepower Has Almost Run Out", Jewish Institute for National Security of America, March 5, 2024. "U.S. Operation Epic Fury and Israeli Operation Roaring Lion reduced Iran’s total daily ballistic missile fire roughly 3 times faster than in June 2025. Iranian ballistic missile launches have fallen 90 percent since the start of the current war, including an 88 percent drop against Israel, compared to an 82 percent decrease over the first five days of Operation Rising Lion. Iran fired more missiles during the first day of Operation Rising Lion than it did during the first five days of the current war combined." By the tenth day of the war, Iranian missile and drone attacks had dropped by more than 90%, a reduction that was steeper than during the 2025 conflict and that was credited to effective suppression efforts by US and Israeli missions over Iran."Iran’s missile fire rate has collapsed by 92%: What comes next? - analysis" , The Jerusalem Post, March 10, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. "Ten days into Operation Epic Fury, the data tells a decisive and irreversible story. Iran’s ballistic missile launch rate has fallen approximately 92% from its day one peak, collapsing from 480 launches on February 28 to just 40 on March 9. Drone launches have followed the identical curve, down 92% from 720 to 60.... By day ten, Iran is firing fewer missiles per day than it managed even at the nadir of the June war, despite starting with an estimated arsenal of 2,500 ballistic missiles." Alternative explanations for the reduction in missiles targeting Israel by day 10 of the war including Iranian efforts to preserve what's left in its stockpile and a more unstructured command and control system after the strike in Tehran decapitated much of senior leadership.Iddon, Paul. "Iran's use of missiles has been different from what military analysts expected — here's what that may signal", Business Insider, March 10, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. "Iran has wielded its missiles and drones to strike most neighboring states in this ongoing war that's raged for 10 days. However, their destructive scale has so far been blunted by the advanced defenses of Israel, the US and their regional Arab partners. Iran's powerful regime armed forces, utilizing a decentralized strategy they devised decades ago, are likely in a race to preserve what's left of their offensive weaponry.... The erratic attacks with small numbers of munitions could also be a sign of Iran's strained command and control.... "

In the 40 days from the start of the war through the 8 April ceasefire, there were a total of 650 missile attacks from Iran to Israel, the majority of which carried cluster munitions. About 16 of the missiles that made it past Israeli missile defenses carried conventional warheads, while 50 had cluster munitions. The attacks killed a total of 24 people, all of them civilians, and resulted in more than 7,000 injuries. Of the 24 civilians killed, 14 were struck by warheads with conventional explosive warheads and 10 were victims of cluster submunitions; two of the deaths were inside a sheltered space, with the other fatalities being people in unprotected areas.Fabian, Emanuel. "The war in numbers: 650 Iranian missiles fired; 24 killed in Israel, West Bank; 10,800 Israeli strikes", The Times of Israel, 10 April 2026. Accessed 29 April, 2026. "With a ceasefire in Iran taking effect early Wednesday morning, the full scope of the Israeli-American 40-day campaign against the Islamic Republic began to emerge.... Iran, during the fighting, launched some 650 ballistic missiles at Israel. According to the military, more than half of the missiles carried cluster bomb warheads, which spread bomblets indiscriminately over wide areas. The missile attacks killed 20 Israeli civilians and foreign nationals in Israel, along with four Palestinians in the West Bank.... In all, at least 16 missiles carrying conventional warheads — with hundreds of kilograms of explosives — struck populated areas in Israel, causing extensive damage. There were also some 50 incidents of missiles carrying cluster bomb warheads hitting populated areas, with hundreds of separate impact sites.... All 24 fatalities from Iran’s missile attacks were civilians, and all but two were not inside bomb shelters. Cluster munitions killed 10, and conventional missiles killed 14."

Use of cluster munitions