ISRAEL - A view of fighter jet being prepared ahead of Israeli army's attack on Iran, on October 26, ... [ ] 2024 in Israel. (Photo by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Israel most likely relied heavily on air-launched ballistic missiles for conducting its unprecedented October 26 strikes against Iran, targeting the country’s air defenses and ballistic missile program. Ironically, Israel developed its ALBMs from missiles initially designed for simulating Iranian ballistic missiles to test the effectiveness of its advanced Arrow anti-ballistic missile interceptors.

Aside from testing and honing Israel’s missile defense capabilities, these ALBMs have now played an offensive role against Iran’s missile program. Iran denies that these strikes have hindered its missile production.

“ALBMs can be highly efficient and strategically advantageous, especially for rapid, deep-strike capabilities in contested environments where time, precision, and flexibility are crucial,” Freddy Khoueiry, a global security analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at the risk intelligence company RANE, told me.

“They allow for more radar evasive maneuvers to hit their targets,” he said. “Fighter jets or bombers can carry ALBMs closer to targets, allowing these missiles to cover greater distances than ground-launched equivalents.”

These distinctions, Khoueiry added, make these........

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