Iran says it has replaced air defences damaged in Israel war
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
As Iran works to restore air defenses, MK Lieberman warns Islamic Republic ‘obsessed with war of revenge’
Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Chief of Iran’s Army, claimed to have replaced systems struck by Israel in the opening hours of the conflict. Mousavi claimed that the replacement of “the damaged systems” came even during the war, and that as a result of this, Israel was unable to achieve its goals. MK Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister and head of the right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beitenu, said that Iran is preparing for a war of revenge against Israel. Lieberman said he trusts the statements of the Israeli intelligence and security officials, saying that what disturbs him is the Iranian regime’s plans for a “war of revenge.“The main thing that worries me is the ballistic missiles,” Lieberman responded. “They are active. They are also conducting negotiations with North Korea; you saw what happened here, 26 ballistic missiles that hit the Israeli home front, what damage this caused”
Iran has replaced “damaged” air defense systems destroyed during the 12-day Israel-Iran war, a top Iranian military official said on Sunday.
In a report published in Iran’s Defa Press, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Chief of Iran’s Army, claimed to have replaced systems struck by Israel in the opening hours of the conflict.
“In this imposed war, the first actions of the Zionist enemy were against the country’s radar and defense systems, and our comrades in the Air Defense Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army were at the systems day and night and confronted the enemy,” Mousavi told the Iranian agency.
“The Zionist enemy sought to destroy Iran’s defense capabilities, and some of our defense systems were damaged in this war; But with the efforts of my comrades, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed in predetermined locations,” he continued.
Mousavi claimed that the replacement of “the damaged systems” came even during the war, and that as a result of this, Israel was unable to achieve its goals.
“We were able to cover the country’s airspace and ensure the security of dear Iran’s airspace by utilizing the existing systems and replacing them with new ones; therefore, the enemy was unable to achieve its goals despite its desperate efforts,” Mousavi stated, saying that Israel was only able to succeed in its achievements due to support from “the United States and NATO.”
According to various reports in international media, Iran has begun purchasing Chinese-made weapons systems to replace the ones destroyed by Israel, which were a combination of older U.S.-made systems, Russian systems, and some locally produced systems.
Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, MK Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister and head of the right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beitenu, said that Iran is preparing for a war of revenge against Israel.
Asked about his opinion on the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, Lieberman said he trusts the statements of the Israeli intelligence and security officials, saying that what disturbs him is the Iranian regime’s plans for a “war of revenge.”
“But something is more disturbing, Iran is currently breathing, talking, acting solely for a government of revenge, for a war of revenge, that’s the only thing they’re interested in, revenge,” Lieberman said during an interview with Channel 12 News on Saturday evening.
Asked if he thinks that means Israel will have to fight “another round”, Lieberman responded in the affirmative.
“Unfortunately, we will see another round in two years, and we should be ahead of the curve,” he stated, “because the Iranians are explicitly saying that this time they want to take the lead, and these are not theoretical threats. They have started to restore the nuclear program, they have ordered a dense air defense system from the Chinese, including new aircraft from the Chinese.”
Asked whether he believes Israel should strike again, Lieberman pointed to the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile program – an issue that, despite Israel’s requests, does not appear to be on the agenda for the upcoming nuclear talks between Iran and the E3 nations, expected as early as next week.
“The main thing that worries me is the ballistic missiles,” Lieberman responded.
“They are active,” he continued. “They are also conducting negotiations with North Korea; you saw what happened here, 26 ballistic missiles that hit the Israeli home front, what damage this caused.”
“Besides the nuclear sites, the threat of ballistic missiles is an intolerable threat,” Lieberman argued. “They are talking right now about over 20,000 ballistic missiles. Imagine, instead of 26 missiles [which hit Israel during the 12-day war], 260 missiles hitting the Israeli home front. What would that do?”
Asked if he would order a strike if he were the prime minister, Lieberman responded, “I hope that’s what they are preparing.”
The former Netanyahu coalition partner also stated that he would “order the Mossad to work toward one goal: regime change in Iran.”
Iran says it replaced air defenses damaged in Israel war
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel. “Some of our air defenses were damaged, but this is not something we can hide,” Mousavi said.
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel, Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday, quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel’s air force dominated Iran’s airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country’s air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
“Some of our air defenses were damaged; this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.
Reuters
Iran ‘replaces’ air defence systems damaged during Israel war
Israel launched surprise bombing campaign against Iran in mid-June, prompting Tehran to respond with drone and missile attacks. Israel’s strikes dealt a blow to Iran’s air defences, which were repeatedly activated in the capital Tehran and across the country. The war with Israel killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, while Iranian fire killed at least 28 people in Israel.
Israel launched an unprecedented surprise bombing campaign against Iran in mid-June, prompting Tehran to respond with drone and missile attacks.
Israel’s strikes dealt a blow to Iran’s air defences, which were repeatedly activated in the capital Tehran and across the country throughout the war.
“The Zionist enemy sought to destroy Iran’s defence capabilities, and some of our defence systems were damaged in that war,” army operations chief Mahmoud Mousavi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
Deadly conflict
“The damaged defence systems have now been replaced,” he added.
Iran’s air defence network includes systems like the domestically built Bavar-373 and Khordad-15, designed to counter missiles and aircraft. Iran also installed Russia’s S-300 air defence systems in 2016.
The war with Israel killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, while Iranian fire killed at least 28 people in Israel, according to authorities in each country.
Israel’s attacks targeted military infrastructure and nuclear facilities across Iran.
Iran’s nuclear site strikes
On June 22, Israel’s ally the United States also carried out unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.
The full extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme remains unclear.
US President Donald Trump has insisted the sites were “completely destroyed”, but US media reports have cast doubt on the severity of the damage.
On Friday, NBC News, citing a military damage assessment, reported that only one of the three sites was mostly destroyed.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24.
Iran Replaced Air Defences Damaged in June Conflict With Israel
Iran has replaced its air defence systems that were damaged during the conflict with Israel last month. Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations, confirmed the update in a statement published on Sunday. Iran already had its own long-range air defence system, Bavar-373, along with the Russian-made S-300 system, before the war. Following Israeli attacks on Iranian missile facilities last October, Iran had shown the deployment of Russian systems during military drills to demonstrate it had recovered from the assault. Iran and the US had engaged in five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman. Western countries want Iran to halt completely over uranium enrichment to prevent any risk of nuclear weapons development. Iran continues to maintain that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations, confirmed the update in a statement published on Sunday.
During the air conflict in June, Israel’s air force gained air superiority over Iran, damaging parts of the Iranian air defence infrastructure.
In response, Iranian forces launched waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli positions, and Iran claimed these attacks successfully struck key strategic areas.
Rear Admiral Mousavi said, “The Zionist enemy sought to destroy Iran’s defence capabilities, and some of our defence systems were damaged in this war; But with the efforts of my comrades, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed in predetermined locations.”
He also stated that Israel failed to achieve its goals and accused the United States and NATO of supporting Israel in the conflict.
Iran already had its own long-range air defence system, Bavar-373, along with the Russian-made S-300 system, before the war.
The report did not mention any import of new foreign systems after the recent conflict. Following Israeli attacks on Iranian missile facilities last October, Iran had shown the deployment of Russian systems during military drills to demonstrate it had recovered from the assault.
Possible Nuclear Talks With Europe
In a separate development, Iran may hold nuclear negotiations next week with Britain, France, and Germany, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
These talks would address the country’s nuclear programme after recent warnings by the European nations that a failure to return to talks would result in the reimposition of international sanctions.
Tasnim reported: “The principle of talks has been agreed upon, but consultations are continuing on the time and place of the talks. The country in which the talks could be held next week has not been finalised,” citing an informed source.
This update came days after foreign ministers of the E3 (Britain, France, Germany) and the EU’s foreign policy chief held their first discussion with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Iran’s nuclear sites were targeted by the US and Israel in an earlier military strike.
The E3, along with China and Russia, remain part of the 2015 nuclear agreement which the US withdrew from in 2018. The deal offered sanctions relief in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear activities.
Snapback Mechanism
The E3 nations have warned they will initiate the “snapback mechanism”, a process to reinstate UN sanctions, by the end of August if talks do not resume or fail to reach progress.
Araqchi responded to the warning, saying: “If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the ‘snap-back’ for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground.”
The snapback mechanism would restore sanctions before the UN resolution linked to the 2015 deal expires on October 18.
Before the recent Israel-Iran war, Iran and the US had engaged in five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman.
These discussions stalled due to disagreements, mainly over uranium enrichment, which Western countries want Iran to halt completely to prevent any risk of nuclear weapons development.
Iran continues to maintain that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Iran says replaced air defence systems damaged during Israel war
Israel launched surprise bombing campaign against Iran in mid-June, prompting Tehran to respond with drone and missile attacks. Israel’s strikes dealt a significant blow to the Islamic republic’s air defences, which were repeatedly activated in the capital Tehran and across the country. The war with Israel killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, while Iranian fire killed at least 28 people in Israel. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24, 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities, raising the prospect of renewed conflict.
Israel launched an unprecedented surprise bombing campaign against Iran in mid-June, prompting Tehran to respond with drone and missile attacks.
Israel’s strikes dealt a significant blow to the Islamic republic’s air defences, which were repeatedly activated in the capital Tehran and across the country throughout the war.
Editorial | Strategic misfire: On the Israel-Iran conflict
“The Zionist enemy sought to destroy Iran’s defence capabilities, and some of our defence systems were damaged in that war,” Army operations chief Mahmoud Mousavi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
“The damaged defence systems have now been replaced,” he added.
Iran’s air defence network includes systems like the domestically built Bavar-373 and Khordad-15, designed to counter missiles and aircraft. Iran also installed Russia’s S-300 air defence systems in 2016.
The war with Israel killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, while Iranian fire killed at least 28 people in Israel, according to authorities in each country.
Israel’s attacks targeted military infrastructure and nuclear facilities across Iran.
On June 22, Israel’s ally the United States also carried out unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
The full extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme remains unclear.
U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted the sites were “completely destroyed”, but U.S. media reports have cast doubt on the severity of the damage.
On Friday (July 18, 2025), NBC News, citing a military damage assessment, reported that only one of the three sites was mostly destroyed.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24, 2025.
After the truce was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities, raising the prospect of renewed conflict.
Earlier in July, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was formulating a plan to “ensure that Iran cannot threaten Israel again.”
Mr. Katz said the military had to maintain its “air superiority over Tehran, the ability to enforce restrictions on Iran and prevent it from rebuilding its capabilities”.