Despite American claims of a reduction in the frequency of Iranian missile strikes, a series of attacks on Israel and the Persian Gulf in recent days demonstrate the Islamic Republic's ability to destabilize the region, The New York Times reports in an article titled “Iran Toothless? Missile and drone strikes show it can still cause pain“.
Frazin Nadimi, a security analyst specializing in Iran and the Persian Gulf, said the US-Israeli operation was extremely effective in attacking the Iranian leadership, destroying numerous military facilities, as well as the air force and navy.
“But we all understand that the key to Iran's success is the ability to continue to launch ballistic missiles and drones against Israel, US bases and the Persian Gulf. And we know that they are still able to do that,“ he said.
One of the newspaper's American sources suggested that Iran has thousands of Shahed drones and may have hundreds of ballistic missiles, despite the US and Israeli strikes over the past four weeks. However, this source warned that there is no reliable information, as American intelligence on Iran is limited.
Analysts have noted that Iran likely has access to tunnels leading to underground "missile cities" and drone storage depots. However, Nadimi considers this unlikely.
Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, emphasized, based on data from official sources, that the accuracy of Iran's strikes has increased since March 10. She believes that the reduction in activity does not mean a decline in combat capabilities and that the lower number of attacks may be due to the relocation of missiles and drones, rather than their destruction.
“There are signs that we are not dealing with a defeated adversary, but with an enemy that is adapting, learning and inflicting enough damage to implement its strategy,“ said Grieco.
The “Washington Post“ reported that the recent Iranian strikes on Israel have raised concerns about the vulnerability of Israel's air defense system, considered one of the best in the world. Israel believes Tehran has been actively building up its missile capabilities, capable of penetrating Israeli defenses, since the 12-day war last June.
According to the newspaper's sources among senior Israeli security officials, Iran's missile arsenals have recovered significantly since the June war, reaching approximately 2,500 units.