Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced the 19th wave of its “True Promise 4” campaign, claiming to have “bypassed American THAAD shields” with a massive overnight salvo of ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones aimed at Israeli and U.S. targets across the region.

Shortly after midnight, air‑raid sirens wailed from northern Israel to Gulf air bases as radar screens lit up with what one regional officer described as “a sky full of tracks.” IRGC media says more than 300 ballistic and cruise missiles, backed by swarms of Shahed‑type drones, were launched from multiple fronts in Iran, Iraq and Syria to overwhelm layered defenses.

U.S. Central Command confirms “a large, coordinated strike” but rejects Tehran’s boast that THAAD was defeated, insisting the system “performed as designed against high‑altitude threats.” Still, early battlefield reports point to at least two successful hits on military logistics hubs after low‑flying cruise missiles and drones slipped beneath the main interception envelope.

Israeli officials say the “vast majority” of incoming weapons were intercepted by Arrow, David’s Sling, Patriot and fighter jets, but acknowledge “localized damage” and a growing strain on munitions stockpiles. Analysts warn that each wave of True Promise 4 forces the U.S. and its allies to burn through millions of dollars in interceptors against relatively cheap Iranian hardware.

As images of fiery skies and intercepted warheads flood social media, a nervous public is left asking: are Western defenses winning the tactical battle in the air, even as Iran edges toward a strategic victory in the war of attrition?