Former Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told Newsmax on Monday that the United States and Israel have focused heavily on eliminating the launch platforms Iran uses to fire missiles, which he described as the key "bottleneck" in Iran's missile threat.
"So I'm happy to say that Israel and the U.S. have been successful in taking out approximately 70% of Iran's missile launchers, the ballistic missile launchers," Conricus said on "Bianca Across the Nation."
He added that the destruction of launchers is more important than the number of missiles Iran still possesses.
"And that's a very important figure because that is the bottleneck, and that is the most important number," he said. "If we take out all the launchers, then they can have stockpiles of weapons — of missiles — but they won't be able to fire them."
The U.S.-Israeli strategy has centered on locating and destroying mobile launchers across western Iran using aircraft, intelligence assets, and long-range strikes.
"And that's what we are hunting now over western Iran in Iranian skies and with continuous steady success," Conricus said.
Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28 when President Donald Trump ordered a broad campaign targeting Iran's missile and drone infrastructure, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command networks, military bases, and air defense systems following escalating tensions in the region.
Military officials say Iranian missile and drone launches have fallen sharply as launchers and support infrastructure are eliminated.
Open-source analysis and military briefings indicate Iranian missile salvos have dropped more than 80% since the start of the campaign, largely due to the systematic targeting of transporter-erector-launchers used to fire ballistic missiles.
Conricus said the military gains have come even as Israel continues to face incoming attacks.
"Granted, Israelis still rush to shelters," he said. "I had to go to shelters … three or four times today."
Missiles launched from Iran and rockets fired from Lebanon continue to threaten Israeli cities despite the damage to Tehran's launch capabilities.
"We have incoming missiles from Iran and rockets from Lebanon," Conricus said.
The attacks have also taken a civilian toll.
"Sadly, today, two Israeli civilians were killed," he said, adding that the total number of civilians killed in Israel from Iranian ballistic missile strikes had reached 14.
"That's, of course, a tragedy for us," he said.
Despite the casualties, Conricus said Israeli society remains resilient as the conflict continues.
"But Israeli society is strong," he said. "I think we're resolute here, and we understand that this is a period that we will have to tough through."
He said the broader military objective is to reduce Iran's capabilities to the point that the regime can no longer threaten Israel or regional partners.
"And eventually, I think when you boil it down to the military mechanics of it, Israel and the U.S. will be able to really degrade military capabilities of Iran and bring that regime to a situation where they don't have the teeth or the muscle to actually do anything," Conricus said.
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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