Israel caused more than 100 Iranian missiles to explode during their launch and penetrated every Iranian air defense system during last month’s war, claims Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian professor and political-economic commentator, in an interview with the Iranian network Eqtesad. Laylaz described a complete system of military and intelligence failures in Iran.
“I No Longer Trust Anyone”
In his interview, Laylaz criticized Iran’s lack of preparedness and its deep security failures. “I no longer trust any military or security official – whether from the Revolutionary Guards, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the army – unless proven otherwise,” Laylaz said. “From a security standpoint, it can easily be said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been brought to its knees.”
An American officer told “Iran International” that the numbers might be far higher. Publicly released figures are rarely accurate, and the actual damage inflicted by Israel was likely much worse.
“The Number Could Be Significantly Higher”
“When someone says it’s between 120 and 150, that’s huge – but the real number could be significantly higher,” says Michael Pregent, a Middle East expert and analyst.
Pregent was also skeptical about Iran’s ability to recover from the blow. “The systems they use are Russian. Israel already knows how to hack into them and carry out cyberattacks to penetrate, manipulate data, and neutralize defense assets,” he said.
“If Iran tries to renew its air defense systems and restore its previous capabilities, it is essentially reinstalling the same system – a system Israel can dismantle again.”
The Situation Inside Iran
According to an Iranian government spokesman, 1,062 Iranians were killed during the war, including 786 soldiers and 276 civilians. In the interview, Laylaz criticized the idea of negotiating with the U.S. and instead urged the government to negotiate with its own citizens.
“During the 12 days of war, despite their disappointment with the ruling system, the Iranian people quietly rose to defend the territorial integrity of the country. This means there is still room for reconciliation between the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Laylaz said.
