'We will destroy you' – Iran's IRGC chief threatens Israel, says its missile defense systems won't work in future attacks

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief, Hossein Salami, threatened Israel on Thursday, claiming that the advanced U.S. missile defense system recently stationed in Israel won’t be able to protect them from future attacks.

“Just as the Arrow anti-missile systems did not work during Operation True Promise 2, the THAAD systems will not work either,” Salami said. “Do not rely on THAAD, they have limited capabilities.”

THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System is one of the U.S. military’s most powerful anti-missile weapons, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at 150 to 200 kilometers (about 95-125 miles). 

It is the only U.S. missile defense system to engage and destroy short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere.

The Biden administration sent the THAAD system along with a military crew to Israel shortly after the October 1 attack, which Iran called “Operation True Promise 2,” to help bolster its air defense system.

“You cannot win this conflict, we will destroy you,” Salami warned at a cultural ceremony in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah.

During the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, Tehran fired 181 ballistic missiles deep into Israel, sending nearly 10 million people into bomb shelters.

The strike followed “Operation True Promise 1” in April, the unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel of over 300 explosive drones and missiles, further raising the threat of a wider regional conflict.  

Israel intercepted a large number of the missiles launched by Iran on Oct. 1 and 99% of over 300 projectiles fired by Iran on April 13 through their multi-layered defense system and the coalition of allies that joined efforts for the first time to defend the Jewish state against Tehran's attack.

Israel's air defense system consists of the Iron Dome, which shoots down short-range rockets, while David’s Sling intercepts larger mid-range missiles with longer-range and larger warheads.

The final layer of defense is the Arrow system, developed in collaboration with the United States, which provides protection at an extended range of approximately 1,500 miles, capable of intercepting large ballistic missiles with warheads. Operating outside the atmosphere, the Arrow system has been deployed throughout the Iron Swords War to intercept long-range missiles launched by Houthi militants from Yemen.