“Looking at the moment, the main issue which is urgent — not only to Israel but to American forces and regional stability — is the massive production of ballistic missiles,” Avivi said. While Iran’s nuclear sites were “hit severely” last year and rebuilding efforts take time, he warned that Tehran is recovering “much faster” when it comes to manufacturing advanced missiles — systems he described as “more advanced and dangerous” than those launched during the 12-day war.
He said Iranian leaders appear “very determined to retaliate” after what they view as a humiliating blow that undermined their deterrence both internally and internationally. One underreported dimension of that missile surge, Avivi cautioned, is the possibility that Tehran could seek to equip some of those systems with unconventional payloads. “There is a discussion about that,” he said, confirming that Israeli defense officials are actively assessing “what are the capabilities and what are the chances that there is readiness to put a warhead that has these capabilities.” The prospect that Iran could attach chemical or biological agents to long-range ballistic missiles, he argued, “strengthens the understanding that we need a preventive attack” to suppress any attempted strike. (Read More)
