The Israeli Arrow-3 missile defense system, adopted by Germany. [AP Yonhap News]

It has been suggested that the reason Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissuaded U.S. President Donald Trump from intervening militarily in Iran was due to a vulnerability in Israel's multi-layered air defense network.

On the 18th (local time), the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post pointed out, "Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed President Trump to cancel or postpone an attack on the Iranian regime," and "Iran's inability to prepare for a ballistic missile attack is strongly suggested as a major cause."

As protests against economic hardship, which began on the 28th of last month in Iran, intensified and spread to criticize the theocratic regime, Iranian authorities suppressed them with bloodshed.

This led to speculation that the United States and Israel, seeking to prevent Iran's development of nuclear and ballistic missiles, might oust Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and President Trump hinted at the possibility of military intervention.

However, Prime Minister Netanyahu adopted a cautious stance.

On the 14th, The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had requested President Trump in a phone call to "delay the plan for a military attack on Iran."

The Jerusalem Post analyzed, "Iran's ballistic missile capabilities have weakened the most in decades," but "Prime Minister Netanyahu felt that the Israeli military had not secured a sufficient quantity of Arrow interceptor missiles to counter the threat."

From a technical standpoint, the Israeli military successfully intercepted approximately 800 Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Israel in 2024-2025, and Iran's inventory of ballistic missiles and launchers was halved during that period, the Jerusalem Post noted.

However, Israel and the United States spent $1.48 billion to $1.58 billion (approximately 2.2 to 2.3 trillion won) to intercept three airstrikes carried out by Iran during this period with interceptor missiles, and it took time to replenish the stock of interceptor missiles.

The publication suggested that Iran could also rebuild its ballistic missile capabilities during this time, adding, "Netanyahu's thinking would be that Israel could produce Arrow missiles faster than Iran and also secure additional U.S. air defense systems."

The previous day, the U.S. daily Washington Post reported that the dissuasion from regional allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt influenced President Trump's decision to put on hold the option of a military attack on Iran.