Eighteen US soldiers and 62 Israelis have been killed in Iranian ballistic missile attacks since February, according to US Central Command and Israeli officials — a mounting toll that underscores the human cost of a regional conflict now in its fifth month. The strikes, which Iran launched in retaliation for joint US-Israeli operations that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders, have injured at least 7,693 more people across Israel and targeted American bases throughout the Middle East.
Iran's weapon of choice has been the Kheibar Shekan missile, a solid-fuel, medium-range system that military experts describe as cheap, mobile, and increasingly difficult to stop. The missiles can be kept fueled and loaded quickly onto trucks, making launch sites harder to target. Some variants carry small engines in the nose section that detach during flight, allowing the warhead to adjust direction as it approaches its target at roughly 10,000 kilometers per hour. That maneuverability makes them harder to destroy than older Iranian missiles that required lengthy prelaunch fueling.
A Learning Curve in Warfare
US officials said Iran has been combining Kheibar Shekan launches with high-speed attack drones and less sophisticated missiles, targeting radars supporting air defenses and housing areas for American troops. The attacks use different flight paths, maneuvers, and speeds to confuse US defenses. While the US and its allies have shot down most of the missiles, one US official acknowledged some have gotten through.
"I think what it tells us is Iran is paying attention, and they're learning, and they're looking at ways that they can get at us," said Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who has led US Central Command. "This is a military that has a well-developed drone capability; it's had a missile program, a rocket program for a long period of time. They've got a lot of expertise in this area."
Fabian Hinz, an independent missile expert, said Iran likely studied previous launches to maximize their chances of reaching targets. "Iran has seen what types of maneuvers are the most effective ones for overcoming missile defense," Hinz said. "Every single combat use gives you some sort of data, so that's very useful for the Iranians."
The Economics of Escalation
Iran hasn't disclosed the cost of a Kheibar Shekan, but analysts told the Wall Street Journal the missiles are far cheaper than the US and Israeli interceptors used to stop them — which cost between $2 million and $15 million, depending on the system. That asymmetry means Iran can sustain attacks longer than Israel and the US can sustain defenses, a reality with implications for both military strategy and civilian protection.
Israel said it shot down most of the Kheibar Shekans fired at it by Iran, which claimed it targeted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in one strike. The Jerusalem Post reported that Iran retaliated by firing across the Middle East at Gulf nations and US military bases following the joint operations launched on February 28. Those operations — dubbed Roaring Lion and Epic Fury by Israel and the US — had the stated aim of creating conditions for regime change. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by an Israeli strike on a Tehran bunker, and Iran's defense minister and several IRGC generals were also killed in what was described as the largest-ever aerial attack by the Israeli Air Force.
A ceasefire deal was announced on April 7 and went into effect the following day, but the human toll accumulated during the preceding weeks continues to shape the region's security landscape.
Why This Matters:
The deaths of US soldiers and Israeli civilians in Iranian missile strikes reveal the expanding human cost of a conflict that began with targeted assassinations and escalated into sustained attacks on military and civilian infrastructure. Iran's ability to adapt its missile tactics — using cheaper, more maneuverable weapons that evade some defenses — means the protective advantage held by the US and Israel isn't absolute. Each successful strike raises questions about the sustainability of a defense-only posture and the long-term viability of deterrence strategies that rely on technological superiority. The ceasefire that took effect in April hasn't erased the lessons of February and March: that regional escalation kills soldiers and civilians alike, and that the gap between military capability and civilian protection remains a defining feature of modern Middle Eastern warfare.