Iran Rebuilds Bombed Military Assets Faster Than Expected

Satellite imagery indicates Iran has been rebuilding military assets bombed by the United States and Israel at a pace exceeding expectations. One example from March shows two tunnel entrances, suspected gateways to an underground missile depot in Kangavar, western Iran, destroyed by US strikes. However, satellite images taken weeks later show the destroyed entrances had been cleared and repaired. In another instance, an Israeli official reported that Iran successfully repaired a bridge destroyed by bombing. Early July satellite imagery also depicted partial reconstruction of a port in Bandar Anzali on the Caspian Sea, a facility suspected of links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In March, the Israeli military announced it had bombed several Iranian naval assets in the Caspian Sea, including a major port and several vessels, four of which were equipped with air defence and anti-missile systems. Former IDF Brigadier General Ran Kochav stated, ‘They are replenishing their weapons stockpiles,’ adding that Iran possesses ‘very impressive reconstruction and industrialisation capabilities.’ Kochav noted this rapid recovery is consistent with Iran’s skill in rebuilding its infrastructure and missile stocks following the 12-day war with Israel in June of the previous year. The report also suggested that US and Israeli strikes often only succeed in bombing the entrances to missile depots rather than destroying them completely, leaving the weapons caches untouched and merely requiring excavation of the rubble from the tunnel entrances.