FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Iran has warned of a new and harsher phase of war against the United States and Israel, after a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that Tehran will now only use missiles with explosive payloads of at least 1,000 kilograms.
According to Lebanese Al Mayadeen television, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi said that attacks on American and Israeli targets will increase significantly in both intensity and scale.
According to him, operations so far have hit American and Israeli military bases, as well as regional infrastructure, including Dubai airport and the Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia.
Military analysts interpret this statement as a significant shift in Iranian strategy. Until now, Tehran has tried to overwhelm adversaries' air defense systems by using large waves of cheap Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones.
The new strategy appears to aim for fewer but far more destructive attacks, with larger, faster missiles that are harder to intercept and can hit fortified targets such as air bases and underground command centers.
Geopolitical analyst Shanaka Anselm Perera said Iran is trying to "change the economy of war," using heavier missiles to make it more difficult and costly for the US and its allies to defend.
Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
Among them are:
-Soumar, a cruise missile with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers
-Sejjil, a ballistic missile with a range of about 2,000 kilometers
-Khorramshahr, capable of carrying a payload of up to 1,800 kilograms and with a range of 2,000–3,000 kilometers
-Kheibar Shekan, a missile with a range of about 1,450 kilometers
Since the start of the war on February 28, Iran has launched dozens of missile and drone attacks, including Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.
Tehran's previous strategy was to wage a war of attrition, forcing the US and its allies to use much more expensive interceptors to shoot down relatively cheap drones.
A Shahed drone costs around $50,000, while a US Patriot interceptor missile can cost around $4 million, while THAAD interceptors reach up to $12 million.
However, analysts point out that in practice air defenses should attempt to stop any approaching missile or drone, as the potential damage from a successful strike could far outweigh the cost of interception.
Iran's change of strategy is expected to increase the risk of escalating conflict in the region, while analysts warn that the use of heavier missiles could lead to much more devastating strikes on military and infrastructure targets.
Lini një Përgjigje