Israel’s attack on Iran enters second phase in which fighter jets will target ballistic missile facilities deep undergroundtwo sources familiar with the Israeli military operation told Reuters, writes TASR.
The military says it has hit hundreds of its missile launchers that could have targeted Israeli cities since Saturday, when it attacked Iran jointly with US forces. The second phase of the war will involve strikes on bunkers where ballistic missiles and other equipment are stored, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One source said that Israel is trying to neutralize Tehran’s ability to launch aerial attacks on the Jewish state by the end of the war. In addition, Tel Aviv is also targeting the overthrow of the country’s leaders.
Israel’s military said it took control of most of Iran’s airspace in the first days of the operation, along with US forces. In a statement on Thursday, it said airstrikes struck “underground infrastructure facilities used by the Iranian regime to store ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft missile storage sites” overnight. Reuters pointed out that the Israeli military had not reported attacks on underground missile facilities in its previous public statements since the start of the war.
Estimates of the size of Iran’s missile stockpile differ – according to the Israeli military, Tehran had about 2,500 missiles at its disposal before this war, while analysts estimated that there were about 6,000 missiles. According to Reuters, the size of the remaining arsenal could be key to the development of this war.
Douglas Barrie of the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that Iran still has land-attack cruise missiles. In addition to Iran, Israel also conducts airstrikes in Lebanon, where, according to its claims, it is targeting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement. In some cases, according to an Israeli security source, military aircraft hit targets in both countries in a single operation. They hit Tehran or western Iran first and hit Hezbollah targets on the way back.
