For decades, Iran has built a network of deep underground tunnels to protect its huge missile arsenal from the risk of destruction. However, less than a week after the conflict broke out with the US and Israel, this strategy began to reveal serious limitations.
Satellite images taken in recent days show the charred remains of many Iranian missiles and launchers destroyed in US and Israeli airstrikes near the entrances of the "missile cities", as Iranian officials call these underground bases.
Tehran appears to have moved part of the missiles and mobile launchers out of the tunnels before fighting broke out. However, Admiral Brad Cooper - the top US commander in the Middle East - said that the US and Israel have destroyed hundreds of Iranian missiles, launchers and drones.
Analysts believe that it is likely that most of Tehran's remaining reserves, including thousands of medium and short-range missiles, are still located in underground bases, and their locations are largely known to the US and Israeli militaries.
This shows a fundamental weakness of the "missile city" model: "Systems that used to be highly maneuverable and difficult to detect are now no longer maneuverable and become more vulnerable to attack," said Sam Lair, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, USA.
After most of Iran's air defense system was neutralized, the US and Israel maintained slow-flying reconnaissance aircraft over many known missile bases. They only conducted attacks with manned fighters or armed drones when signs of activity were detected.
A cluster of bases near the city of Shiraz in southern Iran is believed to have been attacked many times. Satellite images from March 2nd in Shiraz show a column of red smoke near a destroyed launcher, signs of nitric acid fuel leaking from a missile. Many other launchers were also destroyed, causing fires to spread throughout the canyon.
At a base near the city of Isfahan, satellite images taken on March 1 recorded images of an intact missile launcher moving on a road near the facility. However, a bomb crater on the road surface showed that US or Israeli fighter jets tried to attack this vehicle but missed the target.
At a base near Kermanshah, the entrance to the tunnel and surrounding roads also appeared to have been hit by heavy US bombs, according to analysis based on satellite images from March 3rd by Planet company.
According to satellite images taken on March 1st, the entrance to the tunnel of an underground missile base in northern Tabriz city shows signs of collapse. The tunnel entrances at another location near Tabriz are also damaged.
Three other missile bases in southern Iran, near the towns of Khorgo, Haji Abad and Jam, were also attacked.
Analyst Decker Eveleth of the CNA Corp research organization in Washington commented: "No one can accurately count their arsenal, which creates a lot of uncertainty about how long they can hold on, and this is somewhat beneficial for them.
