Israeli Security Officials: Iran Dispersing Missile Production and Testing It in Yemen

According to Israeli security officials, Iran is not satisfied with repairing the missile factories damaged in the war and is rebuilding a more dispersed network of missile production sites, some of them underground, while using the renewal of fighting in Yemen as a 'testing laboratory' for missiles and launch methods.

Israeli security officials report that instead of relying on a limited number of giant facilities, Iran is rebuilding a more dispersed network of sites for producing ballistic missiles, where components of missiles can be manufactured and assembled separately. According to them, some of the assembly is already being carried out in underground facilities, and in parallel repair and hardening work is continuing in compounds that were damaged. Satellite images released in recent months indicated repair work in underground facilities at the Parchin complex and at additional sites.

According to the report, the strikes in the war damaged dozens of sites related to the missile industry, including not only manufacturing plants but also critical links in the supply chain such as guidance systems, propulsion, warheads, missile bodies and final assembly. Even before the war, Israeli officials determined that the Iranians would begin repairing the missile array within days to weeks of a ceasefire, and that repair would intensify within a period of months.

According to reports, Russia is involved in rehabilitating the Iranian missile array, among other things through supplying the components necessary to restore production capabilities and consulting. Western reports from recent days claimed that Russia is supplying Iran with missiles, but no reliable details were released regarding the model or quantity.

An Israeli military official assesses that the escalation of fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces is providing Iran with operational space in which actual missiles, launch methods and new operating procedures can be tested. According to the report, in recent days ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones have been launched against targets, and a large portion of them succeeded in penetrating Saudi Arabia's air defense network, and in Israel they claim that this is also part of preparations for possible renewal of fighting.