Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel have been significantly diminished over the past two days following Israeli assaults against its missile silos and launching sites, experts said.
After firing more than 200 rockets in six waves of missile strikes against Israel on Friday and Saturday, Tehran only launched two waves of attacks the following day with only three dozen missiles each, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank tracking the fighting.
Monday saw about 40 more missiles fired, with about half that on Tuesday — all while the Israeli military touted that it has decimated Iran’s ability to retaliate.
The IDF has repeatedly posted video of successful attacks on Iran’s missile silos since airstrikes began on Friday. @idfonline/X
Iranian missiles are being fired in fewer numbers after Israel reportedly decimated Tehran’s missile launcher facilities. Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesTehran initially planned to fire 1,000 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to Friday’s preemptive strike, but the strong response never came to fruition because of the severe damage to Iran’s ammunition, the ISW said.
“Iran has used significantly fewer munitions in its response to Israel than originally planned because the IDF destroyed and damaged missile launchers and silos that Iran planned to use to retaliate against Israel,” it wrote.
Before the current conflict started, US and Israeli officials estimated that Iran’s stockpile of missiles was about 2,000, and not all of them were capable of reaching the Jewish state, according to the think tank.
That number has likely plummeted following Israel’s repeated attacks against Tehran’s missile launching facilities, which carried on into Tuesday.
Drone footage shows the damage to a residential block in Tel Aviv during the height of the Iranian missile barrage. REUTERSThe Israel Defense Forces estimates that some 40% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers have been destroyed since Israel began bombing the Islamic Republic on Friday.
The Israeli air force said more than 70 Iranian air defense missile batteries have also been wiped out, crippling Tehran’s ability to keep its military facilities from being further damaged.
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The Israeli military has said it will continue to “hunt down” Iran’s missile silos and launchers, with the IDF sharing video after video on X of rocket facilities destroyed in Iran.
With Iran only making small-scale attacks recently, Israel’s Home Front Command issued an end to its pre-launch alerts, which gave citizens a wider window to seek shelter from Iran’s ballistic missile attacks.
