{"id":283034,"date":"2026-02-10T01:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T01:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/283034\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T01:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T01:39:12","slug":"inside-irans-ballistic-missile-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/283034\/","title":{"rendered":"inside Iran’s ballistic missile p"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Operation Rising Lion, <\/a>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Israel had removed two immediate existential threats<\/a>: the threat of nuclear annihilation and, in his words, the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles. \u201cHad we not acted now, the State of Israel would soon have faced the danger of destruction,\u201d Netanyahu said. Eight months later, Israel is once again warning the world that Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program threatens the entire region. Tehran insists the issue is a \u201cred line\u201d in negotiations with the United States and, at least publicly, refuses to discuss it. The very fact that Washington plans to continue talks despite Iran\u2019s refusal <\/a>has raised concerns in Israel.Just before Netanyahu departs for the United States <\/a>to present Israel\u2019s demand to President Donald Trump not to waive limits on Iran\u2019s ballistic missiles\u2014and not to settle for a nuclear-only agreement\u2014ynet lays out the Iranian missile program threatening the region, and the key questions surrounding it.<\/p>\n

How do the missiles work?<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s ballistic missiles, like any standard ballistic missile, go through three stages after launch: acceleration, during which the engines propel the missile to the required speed; free flight in space, without engine thrust, until it reaches the apex of its ballistic arc; and descent, as it reenters the atmosphere. The missile loses most of its speed but continues traveling at thousands of kilometers per hour. During the penetration phase, the warhead usually reenters the atmosphere until it explodes over the target or is intercepted.<\/p>\n

What has happened since Operation Rising Lion?<\/p>\n

After the June 2025 war, Israeli assessments suggested that about 200 missile launchers\u2014roughly half to two-thirds of Iran\u2019s ballistic launcher inventory\u2014had been destroyed. When it comes to missile numbers, however, the picture is very different. In June, the military said Tehran had already decided\u2014before the war\u2014to ramp up production to 2,500 to 8,000 missiles per year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"Imad<\/a>\"Imad<\/p>\n

Imad missile, which has a range of approximately 1,700 km<\/p>\n

How do the missiles serve Iran?<\/p>\n

The mere existence of the missiles\u2014without launching them\u2014serves Tehran no less. Lessons drawn by the regime from the 12-day war <\/a>led it to understand that missiles constitute a deterrent\u2014perhaps almost the only one it has left\u2014as long as it lacks a functioning nuclear program or the ability to develop nuclear weapons. In the West, the missiles are seen as a conventional threat to the entire Middle East\u2014but not only that: they could also be used to carry nuclear warheads should Iran develop them.<\/p>\n

Which Iranian missiles can reach Israel?<\/p>\n

Iran has ballistic missiles of various ranges.<\/a> According to Iranian statements, the maximum range is about 2,500 kilometers. According to the Washington-based CSIS think tank, Iran possesses several missiles capable of striking Israel\u2014some of which were used in the 12-day war: Sejil, a solid-fueled missile<\/a> with a range of about 2,000 km; Emad, liquid-fueled, with a range of about 1,700 km; Qadr, with a range of about 2,000 km; and Khorramshahr, also with a range of about 2,000 km, designed to carry a very heavy warhead of up to 1.8 tons.<\/p>\n

What can hit U.S. bases?<\/p>\n

Underground base uncovered in Iran for storing missiles and various weapons<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s missiles are divided into families. According to Calcalist, the Shahab family is the most widespread in Iran\u2019s arsenal. Most are liquid-fueled and therefore require fueling before launch\u2014something that complicates operations and creates \u201cintelligence noise.\u201d The family includes the older Shahab-3 missiles; the Emad, described by Iran as highly accurate; the Qadr, a two-stage missile that includes a solid-fuel engine to shorten launch preparations; and the Qiam, whose range is too short to reach Israel.<\/p>\n

Where are the launch sites?<\/p>\n

Many Iranian launch sites are located in and around Tehran. During Operation Rising Lion<\/a>, Israel nearly paralyzed missile launches from western Iran\u2014the area closest to Israel\u2014effectively limiting Iran\u2019s ability to fire shorter-range missiles. In addition, Iran is known to operate underground \u201cmissile cities\u201d in several provinces, including Kermanshah in western Iran, Semnan in the north, and the Persian Gulf region.<\/p>\n

Where else have Iranian missiles proven themselves?<\/p>\n

In Israel, some Iranian missiles caused significant destruction. During Operation Rising Lion, Israel\u2019s air-defense systems intercepted hundreds of ballistic missiles, but those that got through caused extensive damage and killed 29 people. The interception rate stood at 86%. The missiles that struck left images <\/a>of shattered apartments and buildings destroyed entirely<\/a>, with many others still standing but heavily damaged.<\/p>\n

Iran has not used its missiles only against Israel. Last June, Tehran fired 13 missiles at the Al Udeid base in Qatar in response to U.S. participation in the bombing of the Fordow nuclear facility. Iran has threatened that next time it will not give the Americans advance notice, as it did in Qatar\u2014an attack in which no one was hurt. In 2024, Iran claimed it bombed a \u201cMossad headquarters\u201d in Iraqi Kurdistan, causing extensive damage to a building, though there is no proof or clear link that it served the intelligence agency.<\/p>\n

Iran has also launched missiles at Pakistan and absorbed retaliatory fire, and in 2020, following the killing of Qassem Soleimani,<\/a> fired missiles at Ain al-Asad base in Iraq<\/a>, where U.S. forces were stationed. The most memorable attack\u2014one in which the U.S. and Saudi Arabia believe Iran was involved\u2014was the 2019 strike on Saudi Aramco oil facilities. Iran denied involvement, but Riyadh and Washington were convinced the Islamic Republic was behind it.<\/p>\n

What does Israel want?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d7\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9<\/a>\"\u05d7\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9<\/p>\n

Khamenei awards decoration to Commander Hajizadeh<\/p>\n

(Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)<\/p>\n

What is Iran’s position on restrictions?<\/p>\n

Tehran refuses\u2014at least publicly\u2014to discuss any limits on its ballistic missile program, signaling that it sees the missiles as a defensive tool,<\/a> especially now that its nuclear program is no longer functioning. Last week, figures in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that, thanks to the missile program, the United States refrained from attacking Iran and instead chose negotiations. \u201cThe United States returned to negotiations in humility,\u201d said IRGC official Yadollah Javani.<\/p>\n

Who built the program?<\/p>\n

According to The Wall Street Journal, the missile arsenal was the life\u2019s work of Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC\u2019s Aerospace Force, who was killed at the outset of Operation Rising Lion. <\/p>\n

Hajizadeh joined the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War, when the Guards were assigned the mission. In 2009, after taking command of the force, he drove the missile program to a new level. Hajizadeh planned Iran\u2019s response to the killing of Soleimani and was also documented as responsible for Iranian attacks on Israel in April 2024 and October of that year. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe foreigners around us are not secure, but Iran is at the peak of stability,\u201d Hajizadeh said in a 2015 interview with Iranian state television.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Operation Rising Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Israel had removed two immediate existential threats: the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-283034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}