After 12-day war, Iran’s missiles emerge as major challenge for Israel

The National Interest, in a report titled “Iran’s Missiles Pose a Challenge for Israel,” examined Iran’s missile development after the 12-day conflict.

The report states: Despite UN sanctions, Iran’s ballistic missile activity appears to be expanding.

It adds: While a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains in place, Tehran is not concealing its missile expansion and production plans. Earlier this month, Iran’s foreign minister stated that the country’s arsenal far exceeds what was used in the 12-day war.

The National Interest further noted: In October, European intelligence sources reported that Iran was actively developing its ballistic missile program after the 12-day war. Despite UN sanctions banning arms sales to the country, Tehran’s ballistic missile activity seems to be growing.

The report also explains that Iranian officials gained important insights into the effectiveness of their weapons during the 12-day war.

Quoting an expert, the publication wrote: Iran learned how to strike more effectively by optimizing launch locations, firing sequences, and trajectories—methods used during strikes on some eastern bases of Iran during the 12-day conflict. This allowed fewer launches to achieve higher impact on targets.

According to the report, Iran learned a great deal between Operation Promise One, Promise Two, and Promise Three; during the conflict, it fired some of its most lethal and advanced missiles at Israel.

The National Interest emphasized that the medium-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile, the short-range solid-fuel Fateh-110, and the long-range Zolfaghar ballistic missile were among the munitions Tehran fired during the conflict.