Iran said to hold test launches ahead of response to Haniyeh killing, after failed April attack

As part of the lessons learned from its underwhelming April attack on Israel, Iran undertook a series of 13 test launches in August ahead of a potential response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, widely attributed to Israel, a Western diplomat is quoted as saying by the Israel Hayom daily.

Half of the around 150 missiles Iran fired on April 13-14 failed to reach Israel, officials said in the attack’s immediate aftermath. Now, the official hints that covert operations by the US, Israel and other Western partners played a significant role in the high rate of failure. The official also points at faulty materials and shoddy workmanship by the Iranians.

In the April attack, Iran launched a large wave of around 300 attack drones and missiles from its territory toward the Jewish state, in the first-ever direct attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic. The attack was carried out to avenge seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including two generals, who were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a building near Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.

Tehran initially did not believe Israeli reports that they were only able to hit one airbase with minor damage, says the official, but when they understood that the reports were correct, they embarked on a process to understand what happened and how to remedy the situation, according to the official.