International affairs analyst Marek Laskiewicz has warned that Iran’s network of underground missile facilities could enable it to sustain military operations despite the extensive aerial bombardment carried out by the United States and Israel.
Laskiewicz made the remarks during an interview with Arise News on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as the war between Israel and Iran entered its sixth day, with both sides continuing to exchange missile and drone strikes across the region.
According to the analyst, the use of subterranean missile infrastructure provides Iran with a significant strategic advantage in the conflict, making it difficult for opposing forces to completely dismantle its strike capability even after sustained attacks on launchers and military installations.
“They have gone underground, as Germany did, incidentally, in World War II. The point about being underground is that those positions cannot easily be attacked,” Laskiewicz said.
He explained that by relocating critical missile launch systems and storage facilities beneath mountains or fortified underground structures, Iran is able to shield key military assets from conventional air power. Such installations are typically designed to withstand precision-guided munitions and aerial bombardment, allowing forces to continue operations even when surface infrastructure is destroyed.
The strategy, he noted, mirrors tactics used during the World War II, when underground bunkers and hardened facilities were employed to protect strategic weapons and command centres from enemy air raids.
Military experts have long assessed that Iran has invested heavily in extensive tunnel networks and underground missile bases, sometimes referred to as “missile cities,” where ballistic missiles, launch platforms, and support systems can be concealed and deployed when needed. These facilities are believed to form a key component of Iran’s defensive military doctrine, particularly in anticipation of air campaigns by technologically superior adversaries.
Laskiewicz said that while reports from U.S. military officials suggest that Iranian missile infrastructure has suffered significant degradation since the start of the war, underground launch sites could still enable Tehran to maintain a degree of operational capability.
As a result, he cautioned that even substantial damage to visible missile launchers and military installations may not completely halt Iranian attacks, since mobile or concealed systems could continue to be deployed from protected locations.
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