Israeli Airstrikes Target Missile Fuel-Mixing Facilities in Iran: Reports

Photo : Reuters

The Israeli military announced that three waves of jets conducted airstrikes against missile factories and other military sites near Tehran and in western Iran. This operation, reported to have occurred early Saturday, was in retaliation for an earlier missile barrage by Iran against Israel on October 1, during which more than 200 missiles were launched.

According to assessments by two American researchers, commercial satellite imagery confirmed that Israeli airstrikes hit specific buildings used by Iran for mixing solid fuel for ballistic missiles. David Albright, a former weapons inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, along with Decker Eveleth tank, both indicated that Israeli strikes targeted significant military complexes in the region.

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Notably, the strikes included the Parchin military complex and Khojir, the latter being a sprawling missile production facility near Tehran. Eveleth noted that the Israeli attacks could have "significantly hampered Iran's ability to mass-produce missiles." Reports indicate that Khojir had been undergoing extensive expansion efforts as of July.

Commercial satellite images from Planet Labs revealed that the strikes resulted in the destruction of two buildings in Khojir, where solid fuel for ballistic missiles was mixed. These facilities were designed with high dirt berms intended to contain explosions, a feature typical of missile production sites. In addition, satellite imagery of Parchin showed that three ballistic missile solid fuel mixing buildings and a warehouse were destroyed.

Albright's review of low-resolution commercial satellite images of Parchin indicated that the strikes damaged several key buildings, including those associated with solid fuel mixing. He noted that these buildings were situated approximately 350 yards from a facility linked to a comprehensive nuclear weapons development program, which Iran officially ceased in 2003, a claim that the Iranian government continues to deny.

Eveleth further explained that the industrial mixers targeted in the strikes are complex to manufacture and are typically export-controlled, suggesting that Iran may face challenges in replacing them due to their high cost. He emphasized that the precision of the Israeli strikes likely dealt a significant blow to Iran’s missile production capabilities, making it more challenging for future Iranian missile attacks to breach Israel's missile defense systems.

Iran maintains the largest missile arsenal in the Middle East and has been known to supply missiles to various groups, including Russia for use against Ukraine, as well as to Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, both Tehran and Moscow have denied allegations regarding the transfer of Iranian missiles to Russia.

In the lead-up to these airstrikes, satellite imagery previously reviewed by Eveleth and Jeffrey Lewis from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies indicated that both Khojir and the Modarres military complex were undergoing significant expansions aimed at enhancing missile production capabilities. This conclusion was corroborated by three senior Iranian officials who acknowledged these developments.

The airstrikes reflect the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, highlighting the complex geopolitical dynamics in the region as both nations continue to engage in military and strategic posturing.

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