Israel Warns: Iranian Missile Barrage Could Cause Damage of “Small Atomic Bomb”

A senior Israeli official has issued a stark warning regarding the growing capabilities of Tehran’s arsenal, stating that a mass launch of Iranian ballistic missiles could inflict devastation comparable to a tactical nuclear weapon. In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth published on Friday, the official stressed that military confrontation may be the only remaining option if diplomatic efforts fail.
The warning comes as pressure mounts on the United States to curb Iran’s missile development. “If the U.S. fails to reach an agreement to halt Iran’s ballistic missile program, a confrontation with Iran may become necessary,” the official told the Hebrew-language daily. This statement signals Jerusalem’s diminishing patience with the current diplomatic track, viewing the missile threat as an existential danger distinct from the nuclear file.
The official provided a chilling assessment of the potential impact of a conflict. “The threat posed by these ballistic missiles is extremely serious,” they stated. “The launch of a large number of them could cause damage comparable to that of a small atomic bomb.” This analogy highlights the strategic shift in Israel’s threat perception: while a single conventional warhead is manageable, a saturation strike involving hundreds of heavy precision-guided munitions could overwhelm air defenses and flatten entire city blocks, mimicking the blast radius of a low-yield nuclear device.
The comments appear timed to influence ongoing strategic dialogues between Washington and Jerusalem. Israel has long argued that the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) and subsequent negotiations failed to address the ballistic missile issue, allowing Iran to build the largest stockpile in the Middle East. With the “atomic” comparison, the official is underscoring that for Israel, the conventional missile threat has escalated to a strategic level requiring immediate, potentially kinetic, resolution.