U.S.-Israel forces target Iranian underground missile base

A joint United States and Israeli strike targeted Iran’s underground missile complex known as the Haidar Karrar base in the Alborz mountain range near Tehran, according to emerging battlefield imagery and regional reporting circulating shortly after the attack.

Photos and videos published online show large explosions and debris clouds consistent with precision strikes aimed at hardened underground entrances.

The operation appears focused on disabling access points to one of Iran’s deepest known military facilities, a site believed to support missile production, storage, and testing activities. The timing of the strike comes amid escalating regional tensions and follows a series of military exchanges involving Iranian forces and U.S. and allied assets across the Middle East.

Available imagery indicates that multiple strike points were concentrated around tunnel portals and surface infrastructure rather than widespread area bombardment. Analysts reviewing the footage note patterns consistent with attempts to collapse entry shafts and block underground access routes rather than destroy the mountain structure itself.

According to previously published information about the site, the Haidar Karrar underground missile base is located beneath the Alborz Mountains and reaches depths estimated between 550 and 700 meters below ground level. Construction reportedly began in 2014 and included multiple entrances, reinforced tunnel networks, and facilities designed for missile assembly, storage, and testing operations.

Regional observers have long assessed the facility as one of Iran’s most protected strategic installations due to its depth and geological shielding. The mountain overburden provides natural protection against conventional airstrikes, making direct destruction of internal infrastructure difficult without specialized bunker-penetrating munitions or repeated strikes targeting access nodes.

Numerous photos and videos released after the attack show destroyed tunnel entrances and heavy dust plumes emerging from mountainside openings. The visual evidence suggests strikes were calibrated to reach underground structures by collapsing access corridors. However, it remains unclear whether internal sections of the base sustained damage beyond surface-level infrastructure.

Neither U.S. nor Israeli officials have publicly released detailed operational assessments at the time of reporting. No official battle damage evaluation has confirmed whether the underground facilities themselves were destroyed or rendered inoperable.

Underground missile complexes such as Haidar Karrar are designed to ensure survivability of strategic weapons programs during conflict. These installations typically rely on layered tunnel systems, blast doors, and dispersed internal chambers that allow operations to continue even if external entrances are damaged. Destroying such facilities outright usually requires repeated strikes targeting ventilation shafts, logistics corridors, and structural weak points.