New satellite images published by Reuters on Monday reveal a dramatic expansion of two Iranian ballistic-missile facilities for boosting production.
Two American researchers attributed the expansion to increased missile production, which three senior officials in Tehran confirmed to the news agency.
U.S. Earth imaging company Planet Labs took photos of the Modarres military base in March and Khojir missile-production complex in April. They show more than 30 new buildings at the two sites, both located close to the Iranian capital.
Satellite photos show Iran expanding missile production, sources say: The images show many of the structures surrounded by large dirt berms. The buildings are located in Tehran. https://t.co/W5t3zy3oNv JPost pic.twitter.com/3vjx2KLNGE
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One of the officials said that some of the new buildings would allow for a doubling of drone manufacturing, with the drones sent to the Houthis and missiles to Hezbollah, two Iranian terror proxies that have joined Hamas in its war against Israel since October.
According to the official, drones and missile components would also be sold to Russia, which is engaging in a war against Ukraine.
Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California, told Reuters that images of the sites show the expansions began at Modarres in October and at Khojir last August. He also said that the large dirt berms surrounding many of the structures are designed to prevent a blast in one building from detonating materials in nearby structures.
Iran’s missile arsenal is the largest in the Middle East, estimated at more than 3,000. In April, Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time when it launched more than 300 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at the Jewish state.
