Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, deputy coordinator of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) during the 12-day war, gave an interview in which he detailed the military history and aftermath of the US-Israeli invasion, stressing that Iran’s missile forces emerged unscathed.
“There is not a scratch, not even a line as thin as a fly’s wing, on the body of our missile,” he said, adding that there was no damage to the country’s “missile cities” and that launch operations resumed immediately after the attack.
On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked invasion of Iran, sparking a 12-day war that left at least 1,064 people dead in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities in a serious violation of international law.
On June 24, Iran successfully thwarted a terrorist attack through successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the United States.
According to Naqdi, despite the enemy’s best efforts on the Gaza battlefield, including cutting-edge equipment and new weapons, Israeli forces have been unable to destroy Hamas tunnels, the very tunnels that carry their tanks, for two years.
He hinted that even after just 12 days of war, Iran’s tunnels are becoming more secure.
Israel failed to destroy even 3% of the launchers
General Naqdi denied enemy claims that he had destroyed half of Iran’s missile launchers, saying he had not been able to remove even 3 percent of them.
“Not only was the 50 percent they claimed wrong, but even 3 percent of the launcher could not be destroyed,” he pointed out.
He stressed that the technology is completely indigenous and simple enough to be produced in a blacksmith shop, and that Iran now has more launchers than before the conflict and has the capacity to easily produce tens of thousands more rounds.
Furthermore, Naqdi said that recent Israeli attacks have made it clear that Iran is not just confronting Israel, but a broader coalition.
“We are in conflict with NATO. There is the US, the UK, France, Jordan and the Zionist regime,” he pointed out.
The commander noted that U.S. military bases in neighboring countries, radars, wiretaps, foreign embassies in Tehran, and satellites all provide real-time information to Israel.
He also said that dozens of foreign drones patrol the Persian Gulf daily, monitoring deep into Iranian territory.
“During recent operations, the Revolutionary Guards alone succeeded in shooting down 43 advanced drones of the Zionist regime,” General Naqdi stressed, adding that overall Iranian defense forces succeeded in eliminating more than 140 hostile drones.
He emphasized that the defense’s success was rooted entirely in local capabilities, saying that while systems like the S-300 were said to be ineffective, “indigenous systems performed better.”
He emphasized that the domestic system is not only more efficient, but also capable of modification and upgrades and is updated daily, which is an important advantage specific to indigenous technology.
He added that the enemy suffered a severe blow, proving that the country can counter the most advanced adversaries by relying on domestic strength.
He also noted that Iran had not called for a ceasefire to end the 12-day war, and stressed that field commanders had reported no operational problems.
“There were no problems. The pressure was bearable. The troops stood firm,” he concluded.
MNA/Press TV