Iran gambles that its drones and missiles can outlast the US and Israel

"The biggest surprise has been that Iran has not chosen or been able to overwhelm Gulf Arab air defenses in ways that would be very impactful. Iran preferred to either spread out strikes or focus largely on the United Arab Emirates, which is handling the incoming attacks as well as the Israelis."

"Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to a more than 80% drop in missile attacks less than a week into the war as a sign of how the strikes are strategically and systematically weakening Iran's offensive capabilities. Furthermore, after just over a week of war, the Israeli military announced that 75% of Iran's missile launchers are now destroyed."

"A central test is whether Iran's armed forces, which are seemingly operating with minimal centralized command and control, can preserve the drones and missiles that the US and Israel are hunting. So far, it's difficult to determine whether Tehran's weapon choices are driven by its strategy or what has survived the US-Israeli strikes."

Iran has conducted extensive missile and drone strikes against multiple neighboring states over a ten-day conflict, but these attacks have been substantially blunted by Israel, the US, and regional Arab partners' advanced defensive systems. Iran's decentralized military strategy, developed over decades, appears focused on preserving remaining offensive capabilities. Analysts note Iran has either spread strikes across targets or concentrated on the UAE, which has defended effectively. The conflict has severely damaged Iran's arsenal, with US military leadership reporting an 80% drop in missile attacks within a week and Israeli forces claiming 75% destruction of Iran's missile launchers. The extent to which Iran's weapon choices reflect strategic decisions versus available surviving inventory remains unclear.

Read at Business Insider