On the fifth day of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, analysts are reporting a decline in the country’s ballistic‑missile capabilities. A fresh study from the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), found that the military campaign is tailored to destroy Iran’s missile launchers before U.S. and Israeli interceptor stockpiles are exhausted. By crippling the launch sites, the risk of having to deploy limited interceptors is reduced, since Iran would be unable to initiate new missile fires from the outset.
The ISW notes a marked drop in missile salvoes aimed at Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This trend points to “significant success” in the effort to eliminate ballistic‑rocket launchers, the analysts say.
Amid these military pressures, the Iranian regime is concentrating on choosing a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The leadership considers his son, Mokhtaba Khamenei, the leading candidate. On Tuesday, Israeli forces struck the building of the expert assembly in Tehran, targeting a key decision‑making hub. According to the ISW, Iranian officials responded by delegating authority to lower‑ranking officials to safeguard the continuity of state functions, even as senior leadership faces disruptions.
