Beersheba: Israel’s interception rate of Iranian missiles is reportedly decreasing as Tehran continues its retaliatory strikes. A former Israeli intelligence official informed NBC News that Iran possesses sufficient missile stockpiles and capabilities to sustain its attacks, despite previous losses of top commanders in Israeli strikes. The official described Iran’s approach as one of “strategic patience” and cautioned against assumptions of an impending collapse of the Iranian government.

According to TRTworld.com, the Israeli army has identified the use of a multi-warhead missile by Iran in recent attacks, presenting a novel challenge to Israel’s air defenses. Army Radio reported that the missile which struck Gush Dan was composed of multiple smaller projectiles, complicating interception efforts. Additionally, Maariv disclosed that the Israeli army is investigating an Iranian missile attack involving a warhead larger than the Shahab-3 missile, identified as the Khorramshahr missile, which carries over a tonne of explosives.

In the midst of this military escalation, much attention is directed towards the United States, where President Donald Trump has yet to decide on potential military intervention in support of Israel. CBS News reported that Trump perceives the options as limited and suggests that destroying Iran’s Fordow facility would be necessary to complete the mission. A potential strategy under consideration is allowing Iran to disable the facility independently. Trump has postponed any definitive decision, hoping for a possible agreement from Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

On Thursday, the White House asserted that Iran was merely “weeks away” from developing a nuclear weapon. This claim stands in contrast to assessments from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and U.S. intelligence, both of which indicate that Iran is not actively manufacturing a nuclear weapon.