Exclusive Reuters Report; Satellite Images Indicate Israeli Attack on Islamic Republic Missile Facilities

According to Reuters, commercial satellite images show that Israeli airstrikes on Saturday hit buildings in Iran that were used for the mixing of solid fuel for ballistic missiles. This assessment was separately conducted by David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, and Deker Eyloth, a research analyst at the CNA think tank. These researchers confirmed that the Israeli attacks targeted two military bases of the Islamic Republic, Parchin and Khajir, located near Tehran. Parchin is a large military complex, and Khajir is a missile production site that has previously been reported to have undergone extensive expansion. Eyloth stated that these attacks may significantly disrupt the Islamic Republic's ability to mass-produce missiles. The Israeli army announced that these attacks were carried out in three phases simultaneously in various areas, including near Tehran and western Iran, targeting missile production factories and other military facilities. These attacks were in response to the firing of over 200 missiles by the Islamic Republic towards Israel on October 1. The Islamic Republic's army responded to these attacks by stating that Israeli fighter jets used 'light warheads' to attack radar systems in Ilam, Khuzestan, and around Tehran. According to Eyloth, satellite images from Planet Labs show that the Israeli attack on Khajir resulted in the destruction of two ballistic missile fuel mixing buildings. These buildings were surrounded by high earthworks to prevent the spread of explosions to other buildings. Additionally, other images from Parchin show that three fuel mixing buildings and a storage facility were destroyed. Albright also confirmed through low-resolution satellite images from Parchin that Israel targeted three buildings, including two related to the mixing of solid fuel for ballistic missiles. Eyloth stated that these precise attacks could deal a serious blow to the Islamic Republic's ability to mass-produce missiles and reduce the likelihood of a future missile attack by the Islamic Republic on Israel. Earlier reports indicated that Israel targeted a secret ballistic missile production facility of the Islamic Republic in this attack, severely limiting the Islamic Republic's ability to produce and replenish its missile stockpiles by destroying over a dozen heavy fuel mixers. It is said that this equipment was used to manufacture the 'Khaybar' and 'Haj Qasem' missiles, the same missiles that Iran fired towards Israel earlier this month. Israeli sources reported that these attacks included the destruction of 12 'planetary' mixers used for producing solid fuel for ballistic missiles, which are complex equipment that Iran has been unable to produce and typically imports from China. Barak Ravid, an Axios reporter, responded to a user who wrote: 'The important question is how many planetary mixers the Iranians had on the night of the attack. If the number was 12 out of 120, that’s a joke.' He stated that according to two Israeli officials, it was 12 out of 12, meaning all planetary mixers were destroyed. The Islamic Republic possesses the largest missile arsenal in the Middle East and, according to American officials, has sent missiles to Russia, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, both the Islamic Republic and Russia deny claims of missile transfers to Russia.