IDF intel chief said to assess Iran ‘in distress’ as it begins to grasp damage from strikes

Shlomi Binder reportedly tells political leaders that Iranian forces are hiding from warplanes and unable to fire missiles in large numbers

By Stav Levaton

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and ToI Staff 17 March 2026, 1:41 am

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Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder speaks at the IDF Intelligence headquarters at the Glilot Base near Herzliya, August 21, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90/File)

Iran’s military apparatus is “in distress” and incapable of launching many missiles at Israel, while members of the country’s security forces stay indoors for fear of Israeli and US warplanes, according to an assessment reportedly delivered by the IDF intelligence chief to political leaders.

But despite Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder’s rosy assessment of the the US-Israeli bombing campaign’s operation successes, the closed-door meeting held recently by political leaders was inconclusive as to whether those successes could be translated into regime change in Iran, Channel 12 news reported Monday.

During the meeting, Binder said that lately “the Iranians are starting to realize what happened to them,” according to the unsourced report.

“They’re discovering how exposed their command structure is and the damage that has been caused” in the bombing campaign launched by the US and Israel on February 28, Binder said, according to the report.

The opening salvo of the bombing campaign killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and some 40 other top Iranian officials.

Israeli and US officials have said the operation would last weeks and seeks to destabilize the Iranian regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran has responded to the US-Israeli campaign with missile and drone strikes at Israel and the region.

Illustrative: An Iranian looks at the debris of destroyed buildings following a military strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on March 15, 2026. (Atta KENARE / AFP) /

“What they’re firing is what they’re capable of firing; it’s not economy of ammunition — they’re just incapable of any more than that,” Binder reportedly said, adding that Iran’s underground missile bunkers were being “plugged up daily” by the US-Israeli bombings to ensure Iran can’t fire any more.

“They’re in distress,” he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, members of Iran’s security forces were “afraid of going outdoors because of the presence of our and the Americans’ planes. Others are afraid to die or are insufficiently trained,” Binder reportedly said.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit did not respond to a request for comment on the report, Channel 12 said.