NewsNation and the New York Post reported that the Iron Dome intercepted 90% of ballistic missiles fired at Israel.

Verdict: Misleading

The Iron Dome air defense system intercepts 90% of rockets fired, according to reporting. It does not intercept ballistic missiles. Israel uses David’s Sling and the Arrows missile defense systems against ballistic missiles.

Fact Check:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to develop a missile defense plan to defend the United States from ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and other aerial threats, according to DefenseScoop.

NewsNation and the New York Post reported on Trump’s missile defense executive order. NewsNation reported that “Iron Dome was 90% effective against ballistic missiles fired at Israel by Iran in October, which has prompted Trump to order the planning of a ‘state-of-the-art’ missile defense system to be designed in the United States.”

The New York Post reported that the Iron Dome “blasts ballistic missiles out of the sky with an accuracy rate of roughly 90%.”

Both of these claims are misleading. The Iron Dome is designed to shoot down rockets and other short-range munitions, such as mortar shells, according to the BBC. It is true that it has been reported that the Iron Dome has shot down 90% of rockets fired, per the BBC.

However, the Iron Dome is not used to intercept ballistic missiles, per the BBC. Israel uses David’s Sling and the Arrows 2 and 3 systems to shoot down cruise and ballistic missiles, per the outlet. (RELATED: Did Trump Sign An Executive Order Stopping All New Funds To The UNRWA?)

Furthermore, Israel used the Arrows 2 and 3 missile defense systems to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles during Iran’s October 2024 attack, according to Axios. In addition, the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole fired a dozen anti-missile interceptors, per the outlet.

The Iranian attack consisted of 180 ballistic missiles, according to NPR. There is not a consensus on how many missiles were intercepted. The Washington Institute estimated that 75% of the Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted by Israeli and U.S. air defenses.

Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, analyzed satellite photos of Israel’s Nevantim airbase in the aftermath of the Iranian attack and found there were at least “30 craters and damaged buildings,” according to NPR.

“We see more than 30 craters and damaged buildings, suggesting that more than 30 missiles hit the base,” Lewis told NPR.

Lewis later told Check Your Fact in an email that “[t]here were very few, if any, intercepts in October. Much, much less than 90 percent.”

Daniel Flesch, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, told Check Your Fact in a phone interview that the Iron Dome did not intercept 90% of ballistic missiles.

“It’s not correct that the Iron Dome was designed to engage ballistic missiles. The Iron Dome has a 90% accuracy rate in engaging rockets, but in terms of the Iranian attack, it was not Iron Dome that was deployed but other missile defense systems such as David’s Sling and Arrows 2 and 3,” Flesch said.

Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, told Check Your Fact in an email that “I haven’t seen precisely how many missiles were intercepted (vs. misfires vs. landed in unpopulated areas) reported in the open press.”

“And importantly, in the October missile barrage, there were many different systems used to intercept Iranian missiles—not just Iron Dome. Iron Dome is really optimized for short range rockets—like what you see fired by Hamas and Hezbollah.  For Iranian ballistic missiles, Israel has its Arrow and David’s Sling systems and we (the United States) also helped with the interceptions.  The expert consensus is generally that the Israeli systems generally performed well, I haven’t seen precise percentages,” Cohen said.