Iran has made significant investments to restore its ballistic missile capacity, increasing the likelihood of renewed war with Israel, i24 reported on Thursday, citing Western officials.
“The fear of miscalculation and renewed conflict stems, among other things, from the fact that, like Israel, Iran feels that it is under an existential threat,” one of the Western sources said.
Western officials, according to the i24 report, assess that Tehran has prioritized missile reconstruction over accelerating its nuclear program, viewing the project as more urgent for national security. They told the channel that Iran’s new missiles are expected to be less precise because Israel damaged key planetary-mixer infrastructure during the 12-day war.
Iran has concluded it would need a large volume of missiles to overwhelm Israeli defenses, the officials added. The Houthis in Yemen, they also said, may escalate drone launches at Israel.
Satellite analyses published earlier by the Associated Press showed reconstruction work at Iranian missile-production sites struck during the war, though experts told the agency they had not seen signs of large solid-fuel mixers, a crucial component of the program.
The officials also warned that mutual damage in any new confrontation would be severe. “The Iranians know that if they attack, Israel will carry out a wide range of comprehensive attacks,” one said. “The Iranians will bring down skyscrapers in Tel Aviv, and in Tehran there will be great destruction.”
Israeli officials and Western governments have repeatedly referenced the prospect of another round of fighting in recent weeks. An Israeli security official said less than two weeks ago that the military is preparing for a conflict that could last longer than 12 days.
Israel may pursue an attempt at regime change in Iran, the sources told i24, but it is not certain that it will receive American support.
