Iran's military command says doctrine has shifted from 'defensive' to 'offensive'

The commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Abdollahi, said the armed forces have shifted their doctrine from defensive to offensive and are deploying advanced weapons that will "completely disrupt the enemy's calculations," Tasnim reported on March 20.

The doctrinal shift is already playing out on the battlefield. Iranian drones struck Dimona area in Israel, home of Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons and nuclear research centre, close to the community of Arad.

"As we previously announced, the doctrine of the armed forces in defending the Islamic Republic of Iran has changed from defensive to offensive, and we have changed our battlefield tactics accordingly," Abdollahi said.

He added that Iran's enemies had already experienced "glimpses" of the new capabilities and that "new surprises" were being prepared.

Iran launched six missile barrages at Israel on March 21, injuring at least 88 people in a direct hit on the southern city of Arad, with 10 in serious condition, including children, Israeli media reported.

The morning's attacks marked one of the heaviest days of Iranian fire on Israel since the war began, prompting the Home Front Command to tighten civil defence instructions and cancel all school classes nationwide.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the strike site in Arad and said it was "a miracle that no one was killed." He urged the public to heed air raid sirens. "The warning sounded 10 minutes before the missile struck. Not everyone entered the shelter. Those who were in the shelter, without exception, were not hurt and not even scratched," he said.

An IDF spokesman said the air defence systems "were activated but did not intercept the missile," adding that the warhead was "not a special or different type of munition from what we have seen before."

A separate fatality was reported in Misgav Am in the north from a suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon. Four people were wounded in a strike on Tel Aviv, with one later upgraded to serious condition.

Israel's transport ministry recommended further reducing departures and, for the first time, arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport due to the pace of fire and the use of cluster-style warheads.

Iran's retaliatory strikes on Persian Gulf energy infrastructure have intensified sharply since Israel struck the South Pars gas complex on March 18.

In the 48 hours since, Iran has hit Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal, causing extensive damage and knocking out 17% of capacity; struck the UAE's Habshan gas facility and Bab oil fields; and hit Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi refinery twice. Saudi Arabia intercepted 27 drones on March 20, 26 of them over the oil-rich Eastern Province.

Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi refinery was shut overnight for the second consecutive day on March 20, igniting fires across multiple units at the facility, which processes about 730,000 bpd. Kuwait's national oil company shut several units. No casualties were reported.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned this week that the strikes represented "a fraction" of the country's capabilities and threatened "zero restraint" if Iran's own energy infrastructure was attacked again.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan responded that Gulf states' patience was "not unlimited." "I think it's important for the Iranians to understand that the kingdom, but also its partners who have been attacked and beyond, have very significant capacities and capabilities that they could bring to bear should they choose to do so," he told reporters on March 20.

More than 3,000 projectiles have been fired at Persian Gulf GCC states since the war began, with over half targeting the UAE, according to Al Jazeera.