Iran hit five Israeli bases during 12-day war, radar data reveals

Defence affairs analysis

Iranian missiles struck five Israeli military bases during the recent 12-day war, according to radar data analyzed by researchers at Oregon State University and shared with The Telegraph.

The hits — which reportedly include a major air base, an intelligence centre, and a logistics hub — have not been disclosed by Israeli authorities due to strict military censorship.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) declined to confirm the reported strikes but stated:“What we can say is that all relevant units maintained functional continuity throughout the operation.”

The radar-based findings suggest that six Iranian missiles reached targets in Israel’s north, south, and centre, contradicting public claims of minimal damage to military infrastructure.

In addition to the newly revealed hits, 36 other Iranian projectiles are already known to have caused widespread damage to civilian and industrial areas. Though only 28 people were killed, over 15,000 were left homeless — a testament to the country’s civil preparedness and alert systems.

Israel admits that 50 Iranian missiles hit amid strict censorship. Photo: Reuters

The new evidence paints a more complex picture of Israel’s air-defence performance. While the IDF and US-backed systems — including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, and the US THAAD system — intercepted the majority of incoming missiles, about 16% were breaking through by day seven, The Telegraph’s analysis shows.

This aligns with an IDF statement citing an overall success rate of 87%.

Despite that performance, journalist Raviv Drucker of Channel 13 warned: “There were a lot of [Iranian] missile hits in IDF bases, in strategic sites that we still don’t report about to this day... It created a situation where people don’t realise how precise the Iranians were and how much damage they caused in many places.”