Iran said restoring bombed missile bunkers within hours after being struck |
Iranian personnel are digging out bombed underground missile bunkers and silos from the rubble, bringing them back into service within hours after being struck by the US and Israel, US intelligence has reportedly assessed.
American intelligence also believes that Tehran has preserved a notable amount of missiles and mobile launchers, and has cast doubt on how close Washington has come to its goal of destroying the Islamic Republic’s missile capability, according to US intelligence reports cited by The New York Times on Friday.
According to the report, Washington can not be certain how many missile launchers have been destroyed because Iran has deployed decoys. While underground bunkers and silos may appear damaged, launchers can be quickly recovered from rubble and used for attacks, the report added.
According to a senior Western official, Iran has been firing some 15-30 ballistic missiles and 50-100 suicide drones a day across the region.
US officials told the Times that Iran wants to conserve as much of its missile launch capabilities as possible, so that it can continue to threaten the region as the conflict drags on, and even when it ends.
The report came after CNN also cited a US intelligence assessment that around half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US and Israeli strikes across the country.
Some of the remaining missile launchers are not believed to be accessible at present, due to having been buried under rubble amid the waves of airstrikes, the CNN report said.
Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the US, to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.
Public statements by Israel and the US are more optimistic about the successes of the airstrikes, with US President Donald Trump declaring that operations have neared completion of their core objectives this week.
In response to the CNN report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly insisted: “Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks are down around 90%, their navy is wiped out, two-thirds of their production facilities are damaged or destroyed, and the United States and Israel have overwhelming air dominance over Iran.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the article was “completely wrong.” He said the US was “far ahead of schedule on accomplishing our military objectives,” including to “destroy Iran’s missile arsenal.”
For its part, Israel said in March that it had destroyed or disabled around 60 percent of Iran’s estimated 470 ballistic missile launchers.
Since the start of the war, Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles at Israel, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting an interception rate of 92% of attacks heading for populated areas and key infrastructure.
In all, 12 missiles carrying conventional warheads with hundreds of kilograms of explosives have struck populated areas in Israel, causing extensive damage. There have also been more than 30 incidents of missiles carrying cluster bomb warheads hitting populated areas, with over 200 separate impact sites.
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