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World
Iran is restructuring its underground missile facilities to ensure their survival and operational capacity despite heavy air raids, according to Israeli assessments.
Israeli estimates indicate that Iran has begun transitioning to a strategic system aimed at maintaining the endurance and operational status of its "missile cities" even after facing intense aerial bombardments.
This move addresses a primary challenge that emerged from recent conflicts with the United States and Israel, specifically the vulnerability of missile launch platforms and shelters to precise attacks.
A report by the Hebrew website "Netsiv" states that Iran continues to rehabilitate and expand its underground military installations damaged by previous strikes, while also constructing new protective layers and additional tunnels.
Satellite image analyses reveal that most Iranian activity concentrates in several key areas: mountain ranges in central Iran around Isfahan, the city of Khomein, parts of western Iran, the northwestern city of Tabriz, the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz including Qeshm Island, and former Revolutionary Guard bases that have been expanded and deeply excavated into the mountains.
The report highlights that these extensive Iranian systems comprise tunnel networks stretching several kilometers, with dozens of entrances and exits per complex, and large storage facilities capable of housing hundreds of missiles. Some of these facilities are excavated hundreds of meters deep into mountainous terrain.
According to the report, these systems are based on identifying "vertical launch cells" underground at multiple sites, enabling missile launches directly from within Iranian mountains.
Iran aims to achieve four main objectives through this restructuring. The first is "survivability," ensuring that even if one base is destroyed, others remain operational. The second objective is "second-strike capability," allowing Iran to launch hundreds of missiles after any surprise attack against it.
The third goal is "concealment," making it difficult to pinpoint the actual missile locations. The fourth and notably significant objective is "reducing response time," so missiles can be ready to launch inside tunnels without requiring additional time to move them to open areas.
The report suggests that this development could be one of the most important military advancements from Israel's perspective in the long term. Previously, large missile depots could be destroyed in surprise attacks, but now a substantial portion of Iran's arsenal can be protected deep within mountains.
It also notes that attacking such deeply buried facilities will require munitions capable of penetrating shelters, as increased depth demands more advanced offensive capabilities to strike targets buried at great depths.
The challenge extends beyond identifying missile types to locating the specific tunnels housing them, determining their exit points, distinguishing active tunnels from decoys, and recognizing traps.
The Hebrew website points out that even after massive waves of attacks, Iran may retain the ability to launch missiles for weeks or even months due to its more dispersed and protected arsenal.
The report concludes that Iran is moving beyond merely establishing underground or mountain-deep "missile cities" toward fortifying its missile force to be dispersed and resistant to attacks.
It emphasizes that if this Iranian trend continues, Israel will need to increase investments in intelligence, deep warfare, and capabilities to engage fortified underground targets.
