Israeli officials warn Iran stepping up covert missile efforts

Trump “knows what Iran is doing behind the scenes,” the official said. “This is based on high-quality intelligence.”

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli security officials are warning that Iran is intensifying covert efforts to acquire advanced missile-production machinery under the guise of civilian manufacturing equipment, according to a report by the Israeli news outlet Walla.

The machines, while ostensibly intended for civilian use, are assessed as critical for producing components for ballistic missiles and centrifuges used in uranium enrichment.

According to the report, Israeli officials believe Iran is seeking to expand its ability to manufacture increasingly precise ballistic missiles capable of striking Israeli cities and civilian areas.

Similar equipment was intercepted by U.S. authorities more than a year ago aboard a ship traveling from China to Iran, reinforcing concerns that Tehran is working methodically to rebuild and advance its strategic weapons programs despite international pressure.

A senior Israeli security official told Walla that recent public warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump are rooted in concrete intelligence. “He knows what Iran is doing behind the scenes,” the official said. “This is based on high-quality intelligence.”

Trump himself alluded to such activity last week, warning Tehran against attempting to rebuild its military capabilities.

“I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading, that they’re building up weapons and other things,” Trump said. “And if they are, they’re not using the sites that we obliterated, but they’re using possibly different sites.” He added, “We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing.”

Alongside the Iranian threat, Israeli officials voiced growing concern over developments in Lebanon.

A senior security source cited in the report said Israel is troubled not only by the fact that Hezbollah has not disarmed, but by what he described as increasing coordination between the terror group and the Lebanese Armed Forces. Israeli intelligence on the issue, he said, has been shared with American officials.

“We will not allow an accumulation of threats in Lebanon,” the official warned. “If necessary, we will even strike in Dahiyeh. We will not hesitate.”

The assessment comes as a U.S. deadline for Lebanon to demonstrate meaningful progress in dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure has expired, reinforcing Israeli concerns that Iran’s behind-the-scenes activity, combined with Hezbollah’s continued militarization, could accelerate regional escalation.