Iran intended to launch a barrage of 1,000 ballistic missiles toward Israel in response to the attack on its nuclear sites, but was not able to fire so many missiles at once because of the damage inflicted in Israel's strikes, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing Iranian officials.
"Ultimately, Mr. Khamenei ordered Iran’s military to fire on Israel. Initially, the plan was to launch up to 1,000 ballistic missiles at Israel to overwhelm its air defense and ensure maximum damage, according to two members of the Guards. But Israel’s strikes on missile bases had made it impossible to move missiles quickly from storage and place them on launchpads, they added," the Times said in its report, adding that in the end, Iran could only muster about 100 missiles in its first waves of attacks.
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According to the report, in a meeting of Iran's emergency national security meeting, there were disputes about when and how to respond to the Israeli attack and questions were raised about Iran's ability to withstand a long-lasting war that could include American forces. One senior official said that if Israel attacked Iran's water or energy infrastructure, the Iranian people could come out to the streets in protest against the regime.
The Iranian missile strikes on Israel resulted in at least four fatalities and dozens of injuries. Homes in Tel-Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion were hit, causing immense damage on Friday and early on Saturday.
The Times published internal communications between Iranian officials who were angered at the failure of the aerial defenses to thwart the Israeli strikes. Senior officials told the paper that the military managed to quickly repair its defenses.
The Iranian news agency "Fars" quoted a "knowledgeable source" who claimed that, according to "senior military commanders" in Iran, "the war will expand in the coming days and will also include US bases in the region. The attackers will be the target of a decisive and extensive Iranian response."