Tehran,(Parliament Times):
Israel is preparing to enter the second phase of its military campaign against Iran, focusing on destroying ballistic missile facilities hidden deep underground, according to two sources familiar with the operation.
The joint air campaign by Israel and the United States is nearing the end of its first week after initial strikes targeted key Iranian leadership and military installations. The attacks triggered a broader regional conflict, with Iran launching retaliatory strikes against Israel as well as targets in the Gulf and Iraq, while Israeli forces also conducted operations in Lebanon.
Israeli military officials say hundreds of Iranian missile launchers located above ground have already been destroyed. The next stage of the campaign will reportedly concentrate on bunkers and underground storage facilities believed to house ballistic missiles and related equipment. The sources, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the objective is to significantly weaken Iran’s capacity to launch aerial attacks against Israel.
One of the sources said Israel hopes to neutralise Iran’s missile capabilities by the end of the war, while also aiming to dismantle the leadership structure of the Islamic Republic.
Although Israel’s military spokesperson has not commented on the reported plans, the military said in a statement on Thursday that its air force struck an underground site used by the Iranian government to store ballistic missiles, along with other facilities holding missiles designed for use against aircraft.
This appears to be the first time the Israeli military has publicly acknowledged targeting underground missile infrastructure since the joint US-Israeli campaign began last weekend.
Estimates of Iran’s missile arsenal vary widely. Israel’s military previously estimated that Iran possessed about 2,500 missiles before the conflict, while other analysts suggest the number could be closer to 6,000. The remaining size of that arsenal could play a decisive role in determining how the conflict unfolds, as Iran continues to carry out missile attacks across the region.
According to Douglas Barrie of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran is also believed to still possess land-attack cruise missiles, precision-guided weapons capable of flying at low altitudes to evade radar systems.
Israeli air force fighter jets have maintained an intense operational tempo since the start of the campaign, conducting near-constant sorties. The pace increased further after the Lebanese group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, prompting extensive Israeli airstrikes reaching as far north as Beirut.
Sources familiar with the operations said some Israeli aircraft have even carried out strikes in both Iran and Lebanon during a single mission—attacking targets near Tehran or in western Iran before striking Hezbollah positions on their return route.
Israeli and US officials say that ballistic missile and drone launches from Iran have declined since the beginning of the conflict, partly due to the destruction of launch sites and military infrastructure. However, they believe Tehran may also be conserving its missile stockpile in preparation for a prolonged war.
Former Israeli deputy national security adviser Eran Lerman said the initial wave of attacks was expected to quickly weaken Iran’s governing system. However, he noted that this has not yet occurred.
“As long as that does not happen, the system will have to be degraded further and further,” he said.