Israeli fighter jets expected to begin targeting buried ballistic missile sites as military campaign expands.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Israel’s military campaign against Iran is entering a second operational phase that will focus on destroying ballistic missile systems hidden deep underground, according to two sources familiar with the strategy.
The shift comes after nearly a week of joint U.S.–Israeli operations targeting Iranian leadership, military infrastructure and missile launch systems during the opening phase of the war.
Israeli officials say the first stage of the campaign successfully struck hundreds of above-ground missile launchers capable of targeting Israeli cities.
The next stage will concentrate on hardened underground facilities used to store ballistic missiles and related equipment, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the military planning.
One of the sources said the goal is to eliminate Iran’s ability to conduct large-scale aerial attacks against Israel before the conflict ends.
The Israeli military has not publicly detailed its future targeting plans. A military spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on potential strikes against underground missile facilities.
However, Israeli forces indicated Thursday that attacks against subterranean infrastructure have already begun.
In a statement, the military said the Israeli Air Force conducted overnight strikes against “an underground infrastructure site used by the Iranian regime to store ballistic missiles and storage sites for missiles intended for use against aircraft.”
Previous military updates since the war began have largely focused on strikes against launchers and infrastructure located above ground.
Estimates of Iran’s missile arsenal vary widely. Israeli officials previously estimated the country possessed approximately 2,500 missiles before the war began, while other analysts have suggested the total stockpile could be closer to 6,000.
The number of missiles remaining will likely influence the trajectory of the conflict, as Iran continues to launch missiles toward Israel and other targets across the region.
Douglas Barrie, a military aerospace specialist with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United Kingdom, said Iran is believed to retain some land-attack cruise missiles capable of evading radar systems.
These precision-guided weapons fly at low altitude, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.
Israeli fighter aircraft have maintained near-continuous combat operations since the war began last weekend. The tempo of air operations increased further after Hezbollah militants in Lebanon launched rockets toward Israel, prompting Israeli strikes deep into Lebanese territory, including areas near Beirut.
According to sources familiar with operational planning, some Israeli aircraft have conducted combined strike missions targeting Iran and Hezbollah positions within the same flight.
In those missions, aircraft reportedly struck targets in Tehran or western Iran before turning back toward Israel and attacking Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon during the return leg of the operation.
U.S. and Israeli officials say the pace of Iranian missile and drone launches has declined since the opening days of the conflict.
Military leaders attribute the decrease partly to the destruction of launch sites and related infrastructure during the first wave of strikes.
Israeli officials also believe Iran may be conserving parts of its missile arsenal as it prepares for a prolonged conflict.
Eran Lerman, a former deputy national security adviser to Israel, said early expectations that the first wave of strikes might destabilize Iran’s ruling structure have not yet materialized.
“The hope from the initial week of strikes was that Iran’s ruling system would begin to disintegrate earlier, more quickly,” Lerman said.
“But this has yet to happen and as long as it doesn’t, the system needs to be further and further degraded.”
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