Missiles launched yesterday managed to evade Israel’s air defense systems and hit Arad and Dimona in Negev, resulting in many injured in several locations. The strikes raise questions - if this was an isolated failure or a sign of a deeper change in the patterns of firing from Iran. "Globes" spoke to Hilla Haddad Chmelnik, cofounder and CEO of Moonshot, which is developing an electromagnetic spacecraft launcher, and previously a member of the Iron Dome development team, to understand whether this is a turning point and what the implications are for the future.
Iran has launched missiles into the Dimona area. Do the events of the past day show that there is a "gap in defense" there?
"Iran is launching missiles into the Dimona area for other understandable reasons and not for the first time," explains Haddad-Chmelnik. "In the firing last night, we did indeed see a series of direct hits, but beyond this and in light of other attempts to launch missile during this war and during previous operations, of course this is not a 'gap in defense'."
"We must reiterate that no system guarantees 100% protection, and therefore we see direct hits in various places." Despite what we saw in the south of the country, Haddad-Chmelnik is confident, "The interception percentages of the systems are very high."
Do you think reports that there is a shortage of interceptors is true?
"The State of Israel went into this campaign prepared and expecting much more extensive firing scenarios than those that have been fired so far. Therefore, I find it hard to believe," she says confidently. "Interceptors and defensive means are by definition scarce, and therefore they must always be treated with caution and their use must be managed carefully, and that is how the Air Force operates. And it is a good thing that this is so."
There is a feeling that the Iranians are firing fewer missiles but causing more damage. Do you think this is true? And if so, does this require different defensive measures from the Ministry of Defense?
"There is no need to rely on feelings in this case, but on data. The interception data is very high and does not differ from the data of the various systems so far. The cluster missiles that the Iranians are using extensively in this campaign create more areas with falls and a wide dispersion of fragments, and therefore such a feeling is possible. But we saw that their areas of impact were relatively limited in damage, certainly compared with the areas hit by the heavy warheads, such as the area we saw in Beit Shemesh, and on Saturday in Arad and Dimona. Again, part of the defense system is the entry of the population into protected areas, and despite the prolongation of the campaign and the understandable difficulty for the public, we are required to continue to listen to the instructions in order to save lives."
There are many people who receive phone alerts but do not end up receiving an alarm in their area. Do you think this actually makes people more complacent and perhaps it becomes an ineffective tool?
"When the advance warning is sent, the missile is still at the beginning of its flight, which creates a wide polygon trajectory and as the missile approaches, it can be further refined, thereby activating alarms only where necessary."
Haddad-Chmelnik believes, "There is a real dilemma here, since many people who do not have a protected room in their apartment, the elderly or those with mobility impairments who take time to enter the protected area, need this warning time to be able to protect themselves. In my opinion, the Home Front Command is right in enabling that advance warning on detection of the threat, and we as a population in this case are required, despite the wear and tear and effort, to try and protect ourselves as best we can. This is indeed a complex civil challenge and the population in Israel is showing great strength."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 22, 2026.
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