A CNN report revealed a complex and less encouraging picture of Iran's military capabilities last night (Friday night) - after a month and a half of airstrikes by Israel and the US.
According to three sources familiar with the intelligence, large parts of the Iranian arsenal were not damaged at all.
According to the sources, about half of Iran's missile launchers are still operational and usable. Many of them survived the attacks thanks to an extensive network of "missile cities" - underground tunnels and caves built over decades and very difficult to detect or destroy from the air.
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According to the report, the assessment may also include launchers that cannot be reached now, such as those that were buried underground as a result of the attacks, but were not destroyed.
It is estimated that about 50% of Iran's arsenal of "suicide drones" remain intact, leaving the regime with thousands of aircraft capable of operating throughout the Middle East.
A large percentage of the cruise missiles belonging to the Iranian navy, which could threaten ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, remained intact, mainly because the US chose not to focus its attacks on military assets on the coast.
In addition, the Revolutionary Guards have hundreds or even thousands of speedboats and unmanned vessels left.
A source speaking to CNN said: "We can keep crushing them, I have no doubt about that, but you're out of your mind if you think it's going to take two weeks.".
The report stands in stark contrast to President Trump's speech on the eve of the holiday, in which he claimed that Iran's launch capability had been "dramatically reduced" and that it had only a few launchers left.
The Pentagon and the White House denied the report.
A Pentagon spokesman noted that the report was "incorrect." The Pentagon points to a decrease of about 90% in the number of actual launches since the beginning of the conflict. However, intelligence sources clarify that this is a decrease in the scope of use and not necessarily the destruction of the capability itself.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reiterated the official figures regarding the operation, saying that Iran's missile and drone attacks had decreased by 90 percent.
