Associated Press: Undisclosed Missile Base in Shahroud Damaged in Israeli Attack

The Associated Press reported, analyzing satellite images, that Israel's attack on the Islamic Republic has damaged a base for producing ballistic missiles and launching rockets related to the IRGC's space program. The report, published on Tuesday, November 8, states that the Shahroud missile base suffered damage from the recent Israeli attack, while the Iranian government had previously not disclosed information about this area. The Islamic Republic only referred to being targeted in locations in three provinces: Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran, remaining silent about this base located in Semnan province. According to the Associated Press, the Israeli attack on Saturday, November 5, has also limited the IRGC's ability to produce solid fuel for ballistic missiles. A previous report from this news agency regarding the analysis of satellite images after the Israeli attack indicated that two military bases near Tehran, which were used for ballistic missile production, were destroyed. In recent days, news sources and analysts have revealed more details about the unprecedented damage caused by this attack. The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post examined the Israeli Air Force's attacks on dozens of sites used for producing solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles and the severe reduction in the Islamic Republic's ability to replenish its missile arsenal. According to the Israeli website 'Walla', the Islamic Republic has been unable to produce some of the destroyed equipment as a result of the Israeli attack and has imported them from China. This news outlet, citing three Israeli sources, added that the attacked targets were a key part of Tehran's ballistic missile program. David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector, and Decker Ollet, a researcher at the American think tank CNA, stated, based on satellite images, to Reuters that the facilities used for mixing solid fuel for missiles at the Parchin military site were targeted in the Israeli attack. Ollet noted that Israel also targeted a missile production site in Khajir, located northeast of Tehran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic announced that Israeli fighter jets attacked border radar systems in Ilam and Khuzestan provinces and around Tehran using 'very light' warheads. Albright, in a post on the social media platform X, stated that Israel targeted a building in Parchin known as 'Taleqan 2', which was used for experimental activities during the now-defunct nuclear weapon development program known as 'Amad'. He referenced documents stolen by Israel in 2018, stating that the Iranian government kept important experimental equipment in 'Taleqan 2' and added that even if the Islamic Republic had removed key materials from this building before the Israeli airstrike, the intrinsic value of the building for future nuclear weapon-related activities should not be overlooked. He continued, saying that satellite images from Parchin show that Israel damaged three other buildings located 320 meters from 'Taleqan 2'. In two of these three buildings, solid fuel for ballistic missiles was being mixed. In this context, Decker Ollet stated that satellite images from 'Planet Labs PBC' indicate the destruction of three buildings used for mixing solid missile fuel and a warehouse in Parchin. Images from this company of the Khajir military site also show that two buildings used for mixing solid missile fuel in this complex were destroyed as a result of the Israeli army's attack on November 5. Reuters, referencing satellite images, noted the earthworks around these buildings, adding that the purpose of creating these earthworks was to prevent chain explosions in all buildings in case of an explosion of flammable materials in one of them. According to Ollet, producing industrial mixers is difficult, and their export and import are under strict control. He added that the Iranian government has spent years and significant costs importing them and faces challenges in replacing them. Ollet stated that Israel's limited operations significantly struck the Islamic Republic's ability to mass-produce missiles and made potential future missile attacks by the Iranian government to penetrate Israel's missile defense more difficult. Axios also reported, citing three anonymous Israeli sources, that Israel destroyed 12 mixers necessary for producing solid fuel used in long-range ballistic missiles, which severely reduced the Islamic Republic's ability to replenish its missile stockpile and may deter the government from conducting large-scale missile attacks against Israel. Israeli sources added that four S-300 air defense systems, which were strategically located to protect nuclear and energy facilities in Tehran, were targeted in the Israeli attack. They stated that a drone production factory and a facility in the Parchin military complex were also targeted in the Israeli attack. In this context, the Arabic newspaper 'Ilaaf' reported that Israel destroyed a secret ballistic missile production factory and a large number of heavy fuel mixers to supply energy for the 'Khaybar' and 'Haj Qasim' missiles during the operation on Saturday morning in Iran. These two missiles were used in the recent missile attack by the Islamic Republic against Israel. According to the report from Ilaaf, a ballistic missile production factory that was 'the backbone of Iran's missile industry' was destroyed as a result of the Israeli attacks. The report adds that about 20 mixers, each worth at least two million dollars, were destroyed during these attacks. While the Israeli news outlet 'Walla' reported that restoring production for these equipment would take at least a year, sources familiar with the Islamic Republic's missile industry told 'Ilaaf' that reactivating the mentioned factory would take at least two years. In this context, Iranian and Israeli officials told the New York Times that air defenses located in the Imam Petrochemical Complex in Khuzestan province and the Abadan oil refinery were targeted in the attack. Hamid Hosseini, an expert in Iran's oil and gas industry and a member of the Iranian and Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, told the New York Times that the Israeli attacks contained a 'clear message' to the Islamic Republic. According to him, given the very serious economic consequences for Iran and the Islamic Republic's realization of these dangers, Tehran must now act 'wisely' and avoid further tensions. The Jerusalem Post reported that over 100 Israeli aircraft participated in operations aimed at striking the most advanced air defense systems of the Islamic Republic and ensuring air superiority for any potential future operations, including the possibility of low-altitude attacks over Tehran. No estimates of the total damage caused by the Israeli attacks on the military positions of the Islamic Republic are currently available. Satellite images from the Parchin and Khajir military sites were also analyzed by the Associated Press on Sunday, relying on satellite photos from these military sites, which showed burned land around the natural gas production site in Tanghe Bijar in Ilam province, although it is unclear if this was due to Israeli attacks. The clearest damage can be observed at the Parchin site, approximately 40 kilometers southeast of downtown Tehran and near the Mamlou Dam, where one structure was completely destroyed and other structures sustained damage. Additionally, at Khajir, located 20 kilometers from downtown Tehran, at least two damaged structures from the attack can be seen. The International Atomic Energy Agency believes that the Islamic Republic has previously conducted tests of high-explosive materials used in the process of producing nuclear weapons at Parchin. Khajir is also said to have an underground tunnel network and missile production sites that the Islamic Republic has secretly built. The Associated Press, citing Decker Ollet, an analyst at the American think tank CNA, reported that the destroyed structures in Khajir and Parchin included a warehouse and other structures used for industrial mixers for producing solid fuel needed in the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile arsenal. The Israeli army also stated following its attacks on the morning of Saturday, November 5, that it targeted missile production facilities used in the Islamic Republic's attacks against this country. Destroying such sites could significantly disrupt the Islamic Republic's ability to build new ballistic missiles. Despite announcing the deaths of four people due to the Israeli attack, the Islamic Republic has not mentioned the damages inflicted on Parchin and Khajir. It remains unclear how many of the Islamic Republic's military sites have been damaged as a result of the recent Israeli attacks, and the Iranian government has not released any images of the damage caused by these attacks. One day after the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic's positions, officials say 'we will respond.'