Iran: A Missile War, for Now

By
Richard C. Young
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Iranian mobile launch system is destroyed by American forces. Courtesy of the White House.

A future type of warfare has been unveiled in the fight between Ukraine and Russia, where missiles and long-range drones are the main methods of reaching out to do damage to one’s enemy. Now that system of long-range warfare is being put on full display in the battle between American forces and Iranian, where there is no frontline on the ground, only salvos of cruise missiles and drones flying around. In The Spectator, Fabian Hoffman analyzes who’s winning the “missile war.” He writes:

The central military dynamic between Israel and the United States on the one hand, and Iran on the other, can be understood as a race to the bottom. Iran is seeking to deplete its neighbors’ missile defense arsenals while inflicting damage. In contrast, the United States and Israel are attempting to locate and destroy Iranian transporter-erector launchers (TELs) – mobile missile launchers – before they can fire, while also degrading Iran’s command and control and its missile production capacity.

“TEL hunting,” as this mission is commonly described, has historically proven extremely difficult. Efforts during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom produced limited results. Israel’s air campaign against Iran last year arguably marked the first instance of an air campaign successfully targeting enemy TELs at scale.

That success now appears to be repeating itself, with dozens of videos published by US and Israeli official channels showing the destruction of Iranian mobile launchers.

Read more here.

What remains to be seen is whether missiles finish the job. Can America and Israel institute regime change in Iran without putting troops on the ground?