(Reuters) -Israel's effective use of air-launched ballistic missiles in its airstrikes against Iran is expected to pique interest elsewhere in acquiring the weapons, which most major powers have avoided in favour of cruise missiles and glide bombs.

Missile defense tech is so advanced that Iran knows its attacks will be thwarted, avoiding an all-out war. But what happens when that assumption no longer holds true?

For now at least, Iran is seeking to downplay the Israeli strike; its semi-official news agency, Tasnim, labelled Israel’s claims as “complete lies” and said that only “limited damage” was caused. Tehran will almost certainly bide its time before deciding if and how to respond.

A spate of recent intelligence successes by Israel against Iran and its allies have underlined the extent of Israel's infiltration of the establishment in Iran, causing major anxiety for its leadership,