Iran unveils underground missile base amid Israel tensions
Iran has disclosed the existence of another underground missile base. The threat from Israel prompted Tehran to hide its most valuable weapons hundreds of feet underground.
The new Iranian missile base was revealed by the Revolutionary Guards Corps—an alternative branch to the army of the Iranian Armed Forces. The occasion for presenting the new underground shelter was an inspection carried out by the Corps' commander, General Hossein Salami, who, accompanied by officers, visited the missile warehouse.
Video footage of this event was made public on the internet, providing a glimpse into the interior of the "missile city." It shows long corridors filled with missile launchers.
To effectively secure the stored equipment from destruction attempts—even by bombs specifically designed to penetrate underground fortifications—the warehouse is located as deep as 1,600 feet underground.
Operation Days of Atonement
The construction of such installations seems to be Iran's only chance to maintain its missile potential. An attack on Israel conducted with drones and ballistic missiles provoked a decisive response from Jerusalem in the form of Operation Days of Atonement, which began on October 26, 2024.
The series of air raids carried out at that time demonstrated the superiority of Western weapons (F-35I jets, F-16I Sufa, and F-15C/D Eagle) over the anti-aircraft systems developed in the USSR and Russia, which constitute the backbone of Iranian air defense.
The demise of Iranian air defense
F-35 planes operated over Iran with complete freedom, destroying, among others, Iranian S-300PMU-2 missile launchers. According to available sources, all four batteries of this system owned by Iran were hit. If capabilities in this area have not been restored, it signifies the elimination of the upper echelon of Iranian air defense.
The alternative to imported anti-aircraft systems is supposed to be the Iranian-developed Bavar-373 system, presented as comparable to the S-300. However, its capabilities have not been confirmed in any way so far.
