The Israeli military said on Sunday that airstrikes it has conducted since last June had destroyed about 200 Iranian ballistic missile launchers and rendered dozens more inoperable, roughly half of the launchers Iran currently has.
The strikes in the current assault and a previous one last summer, known as “Rising Lion,” have also targeted Iran’s central explosives manufacturing facility, which supplies materials for missile warheads and other weapons programs, including rockets, drones and cruise missiles.
Before Israel launched its 12-day air attack on Iran last summer, Israeli intelligence had determined Iran was seeking to significantly increase its ballistic missile production and fortify its underground infrastructure.
At the time, Israel estimated Iran’s stockpile stood at roughly 3,000 missiles, but intelligence reports suggested the Iranians planned to produce as many as 8,000 missiles by 2027, “posing a real, direct and existential threat to the State of Israel and the Middle East,” according to one such report.
Despite setbacks caused by the 12-day conflict last year, Iran has been working to rebuild its missile production capabilities, according to Israeli authorities. Recent output has been estimated at dozens of missiles a month and has appeared to be accelerating.
Reports suggest Iran has also been seeking components from abroad to restore its surface-to-surface missile arsenal. Those missiles and their launchers were a prime target of Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on Saturday and Sunday.
The Israeli military was also seeking to destroy factories producing advanced anti-tank systems intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as specialized research sites, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military strategy. The strikes are intended to delay weapons development “by several years,” the official said.
Gabby Sobelman is a reporter and researcher for The Times, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs, based in Rehovot, Israel.
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