US concerns mount over Iron Dome's vulnerability in potential Israel-Hezbollah conflict

US officials have expressed growing apprehension that in a scenario of full-scale hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group could potentially overwhelm Israel's northern air defences, including the highly praised Iron Dome system.

These concerns have reportedly been conveyed by Israeli authorities to their American counterparts, Caliber.Az reports referring to foreign media.

The heightened worries stem from Israel's indications to US officials of preparations for a significant military incursion into Lebanon, necessitating a shift of resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel, according to statements made by US officials on June 19.

"We assess that at least some" of Israel's Iron Dome batteries "will be overwhelmed," remarked a senior US administration official, emphasizing the potential vulnerability of the defence system, especially against Hezbollah's substantial arsenal of missiles and drones. Hezbollah's accumulation of precision-guided munitions and missiles, supplied by Iran over several years, poses a particular challenge to Israel's defensive capabilities.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah purportedly released a video showing a drone striking and purportedly damaging an Iron Dome battery at an army base in northern Israel, although the IDF denied any damage to the system. Nonetheless, Israeli officials have conveyed to the US their concerns about the system's susceptibility, particularly in northern Israel, citing Hezbollah's increasingly sophisticated attacks.

"The concern is Hezbollah's ability to deploy a large number of precision-guided munitions and missiles," noted a source familiar with the threat, highlighting ongoing apprehensions among Israeli and US officials about the evolving military dynamics in the region.

The Lebanese militant group also published a nine-minute video this week, purportedly taken by a drone, showing sensitive Israeli military sites in several Israeli cities.

A separate US official acknowledged that in the event of a full-blown war, the support Israel will need most is additional air defence systems and Iron Dome replenishments, which the US would provide.

The IDF declined to comment.

The Iron Dome is fundamental to Israel’s defence and the US government has spent over $2.9 billion on the program, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Israel Defence Forces said the system boasted a 95.6% success rate during a rocket salvo fired by Islamic Jihad last year so if Hezbollah did overwhelm Israel’s missile defences it would risk Israeli military and civilian lives.