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Iran has “restored” its air defense network heavily targeted by Israel during last month’s conflict, state media reported on Sunday, citing a senior Iranian military official.

Why It Matters

Israel homed in on Iran’s air defense network ahead of launching its strikes on the country’s nuclear sites and other military targets in June. Iran retaliated, the repeated exchange of strikes becoming what has been dubbed the 12-day war.

Israel quickly said it had established “full aerial superiority” over the Iranian capital and the area west of Tehran, meaning it could operate its advanced aircraft over Iran with little fear they could be shot down by air defenses.

Israel’s knocking out of Iranian air defenses also cleared the path for U.S. aircraft to launch their own strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran then attacked the U.S.’s Al Udeid military base in Qatar before a ceasefire was reached.

A Russian-made S-300 air defense system, right, is on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. A Russian-made S-300 air defense system, right, is on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. KHOSHIRAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

What To Know

Israel’s “first targets” during the June war between the two countries were Iran’s radars and air defense systems, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the deputy chief of operations for the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, said in comments carried by several state media and semiofficial outlets.

Mousavi said “some” air defenses were damaged. Israeli national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in June the Israeli military had destroyed “dozens and dozens” of Iranian air defense systems.

“With the efforts of my comrades, however, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed at predetermined locations,” Mousavi said. The Israeli military declined to comment when approached by Newsweek on Sunday.

There are many types of air defenses, including large ground-based systems designed to intercept advanced missiles or keep aircraft far away from key targets. Iran has operated a mixture of domestically-made and imported air defense systems, including the Russian-manufactured S-300 long-range system and the shorter-range Tor.

The Context

President Donald Trump’s administration has insisted Iran’s nuclear sites were “obliterated” after the U.S. strikes last month, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer. Some intelligence assessments have been more cautious in their view of how far back the U.S. “bunker buster” bombs and missiles set back Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, but its officials have openly floated discussions on whether Tehran needs nuclear weapons. Experts say highly enriched uranium, far beyond that needed for non-weaponized nuclear development, has been found in Iran and it would not be hard for Tehran to make the leap toward a nuclear weapon.

Israel said in June the Iranian government was on the verge of a nuclear weapon, something the U.S. and many other Western countries have consistently deemed unacceptable. After the U.S. strikes, Iran stopped cooperating with United Nations nuclear inspectors.

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday Tehran had agreed to resume nuclear talks with the U.K, France and Germany, citing an anonymous source. Newsweek was unable to verify the report.

France, the U.K. and Germany told Iran on Thursday that they would restore U.N. sanctions unless it reopened talks on its nuclear program immediately and produced concrete results by the end of August.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Friday “any new round of talks is only possible when the other side is ready for a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal.” If France, the U.K. and Germany—or the European Union—”want to have a role,” Araghchi said, “they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the ‘snapback’ for which they lack absolutely no moral and legal ground.”

This term refers to the process of reinstituting sanctions.

“It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal—coordinated by EU in 2015—not Iran; and it was US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead, not Iran,” the foreign minister said.

Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), often referred to simply as the Iran nuclear deal, during the Republican’s first term. The agreement was signed in 2015.

What People Are Saying

Mousavi said Iran had “managed to restore airspace coverage using existing systems and by deploying new replacements.”

The Chief of Iran’s General Staff, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said on Friday that the country’s air defenses had proved their “ability to withstand all levels of threats.”

Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2025. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

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.”

Senior Iranian military officer acknowledges damage to Islamic republic’s missile defense network, but claims Iran has already replaced destroyed missile batteries.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran has already restored its air defense network, replacing surface-to-air missile batteries knocked out during last month’s war with Israel, a senior Iranian military official claimed over the weekend.

During Israel’s 12-day operation in Iran, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, Israeli warplanes and attack drones caused major damage to Iran’s air defense network, allowing Israeli aircraft to quickly secure total air supremacy over the western half of the country.

Despite Iranian claims during the war, no manned Israeli aircraft were shot down during the air campaign, though several drone aircraft were destroyed.

On Sunday, however, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Chief of Iran’s Army for Operations of the Iranian military, claimed that Iran has already replaced the damaged and destroyed surface-to-air missile batteries.

Speaking with Iran’s Defa Press, acknowledged that Iran’s air defense network sustained damage during last month’s war, but downplayed the extent of the damage and emphasized that the lost batteries have already been replaced.

“The Zionist enemy sought to destroy Iran’s defense capabilities, and some of our defense systems were damaged in this war,” Mousavi said.

“But with the efforts of my comrades, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed in predetermined locations.”

“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 did not specify whether Iran used imported Russian S-300 missile systems – first developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War – or the indigenously produced Bavar-373 – to replace its losses during the June war.