Israel’s Scientific Brain Paralyzed: What Happened Deep Inside Tel Aviv?

NYN | Reports and analyses 

Israel is still reeling from an unprecedented strategic shock following the Iranian strikes that reached deep into its security and scientific infrastructure, causing damage worth billions of dollars and disrupting some of its most prominent research and defense institutions.

The head of the Weizmann Institute of Science told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “The Iranian missiles have wiped out decades of research completely. We will need to start from scratch.”

The institute is considered one of the leading scientific centers in Israel and plays a central role in developing advanced technologies in physics, chemistry, and artificial intelligence. It is also regarded as the “nuclear brain” of the state.

A correspondent from Channel 15 reported that the damage inflicted on the institute by the Iranian bombing amounted to about 2 billion shekels, reflecting the magnitude of the blow to one of the symbols of Israeli scientific superiority.

Defense Losses in the Billions

In a related context, Calcalist newspaper revealed that the defense losses during the war with Iran reached $5 billion. Meanwhile, Channel 12 highlighted the exorbitant cost of missile interception: each Arrow missile costs $1 million, David’s Sling $700,000, and the Iron Dome missile costs $300,000.

According to the same channel, the cost of the first week of war with Iran exceeded 12 billion shekels, distributed as follows: 5 billion for defense efforts, 3 billion for air sorties, and the rest for operational and logistical expenses.

Destruction of Educational Institutions

Yedioth Ahronoth reported in a separate article that 208 educational institutions were damaged during the recent war with Iran, most of them in the Tel Aviv area, highlighting the wide-ranging impact on civilian infrastructure in addition to military and scientific targets.

A New Strategic Equation

Observers believe that what happened represents a qualitative shift in the rules of engagement. For the first time, Israel is forced to confront security and economic consequences of this scale within its own territory. While for decades it had taken the initiative to strike deep into enemy territory, today it is receiving strategic-level blows from an adversary that now possesses precise and effective tools.