Since the start of the war on Shabbos, Iran has launched approximately 200 missiles toward Israel, far fewer than Israeli intelligence had anticipated before the conflict began.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Israeli security officials estimated that the Islamic Republic could fire roughly 150 missiles each day. Based on those assessments, Israel prepared for a much larger barrage. In reality, the number of missiles launched so far is about 80 percent lower than those projections, according to a report published Thursday evening by Ynet.

Officials attribute the dramatic decline in missile launches to the heavy blows inflicted by the joint military campaign carried out by the IDF together with the United States against Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure.

Since the beginning of the war, Israeli and American forces have dropped more than 8,500 munitions across Iran. Of those strikes, approximately 2,700 targets were attacked by the United States alone. In addition to the missiles fired toward Israel, Iran has launched another 300 missiles toward other targets throughout the Middle East.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed the situation earlier Thursday in remarks to the media regarding the war with Iran.

“For six days we have been striking the Iranian terror regime without pause. Israeli Air Force pilots have so far carried out about 2,500 strikes and dropped more than 6,000 munitions. We destroyed about 80 percent of the air defense systems and achieved near-complete air superiority over Iranian skies.”

Zamir added that Israeli forces have significantly weakened Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles.

“We have neutralized and destroyed more than 60 percent of the ballistic missile launchers — a very significant achievement that reduces the damage to the home front and saves many lives. The threat has not yet been removed — every missile is lethal and poses a danger.”

Discussing the next phase of the campaign, Zamir indicated that additional actions are planned.

“Now we are moving to the next stage, in which we will intensify the strike against the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprise moves, which I do not intend to reveal. We will pursue our enemies, all of them, and reach them.”

{Matzav.com}