The war with Iran continues, and the U.S. and Israeli air forces have established total air dominance, delivering devastating strikes while actively targeting ballistic missile launchers.
However, despite all efforts, eliminating Iran's ability to launch missile strikes remains far from complete. At the start of the operation, Iran was estimated to have around 460 ballistic missile launchers, and as of March 8, it was believed to have roughly 150 still operational.
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These figures were published by Ynet, citing an unnamed official. It was also reported that the Iranians are currently attempting to clear the rubble in the tunnels where they hide their launchers, but the IDF is determined to prevent this. It has also been noted that Iran's missile strike capability can no longer function fully due to the loss of commanders, headquarters, launch sites, storage facilities, and other key assets.
Israel's General Staff has emphasized its determination to complete the operation, cautioning that it may extend for up to a month. However, prematurely ending the operation would allow Tehran to quickly rebuild its missile capabilities with assistance from China and North Korea.
From Defense Express we would like to note that the information released clearly illustrates how difficult it can be to locate and destroy ballistic missile launchers. About 30% of Iranian ballistic missile launchers still remain, despite the U.S. and Israeli armed forces' extensive reconnaissance and strike capabilities — including satellites, drones, reconnaissance aircraft, and dozens of fighter jets in the skies over Iran.
At the same time, there is no question about the U.S. and Israel's determination and capability to neutralize the threat posed by Iran. Tehran continues to launch ballistic missiles at not only Israel but also Gulf countries, although the pace of these strikes has slowed significantly. This is evident not only from the medium-range ballistic missile strikes on Israel but also from the tactical and operational-tactical missile attacks on neighboring Arab countries.
Specifically, the UAE is the only country in the region that provides full and regular statistics on Iranian missile launches, revealing the total number fired. In total, Iran launched around 238 ballistic missiles toward the United Arab Emirates by March 8, with a peak of 17 missiles detected on a single day.
It should be noted that after losing a significant number of launchers, Iran, possibly facing a disrupted command structure, was able to develop tactics to counter air strikes and adapt to emerging threats. Therefore, the process of destroying those 30% of launchers may take longer than the previous 70%.
Considering the difficulty of destroying ballistic missile launchers, the task of eliminating long-range drone launch capabilities would undoubtedly be even more complex and time-consuming.
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