CNN has rare access to exhibition of Iranian missiles and drones that hit Israel

“You have to ask the Israelis,” says Brigadier General of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Belali, with a mischievous smile when asked how many ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired at Israel in the April 14 attack.

But he is more than happy to show off the missiles and drones that Iran used in its first attack on Israel, launched directly from Iranian soil.

“It was a punitive measure,” says Belali, as he uses a laser pointer to indicate the launched missiles, towering above him in the exhibit.

Two weeks after the Middle East came to the brink of all-out war, with Iran launching hundreds of projectiles at Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Tehran is keen to show the world that is capable of combating a broader conflict if confronted.

On April 19, Israel responded with an alleged attack within Iran's borders. Both Iranian and Israeli actions resulted in minimal damage and appeared, on both sides, to be aimed at restoring deterrence.

The situation has eased, but the threat of war continues to loom over the region as Israel's offensive in Gaza continues.

A CNN had rare access to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exhibit that showcases Tehran's air and space capabilities, including the types of weapons that were used against Israel last month.

American media had never been allowed in until now.

At the permanent exhibition of the Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Forces in western Tehran, dozens of long- and medium-range ballistic missiles stand alongside cruise missiles and drones.

The exhibition aims to showcase the development and progress of Iran's drone and missile program.

“Today, our drones and missiles have become an important factor of strength and execution of power in the world,” Belali told CNN himself a former missile commander during the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq that ended in 1988.

He says Iran's massive barrage of drones and missiles against Israel has been a huge success.

Iran's attack on Israel included drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The night sky over Israeli cities lit up as the country's air defenses worked to intercept the projectiles.

Meanwhile, the air forces of Israel, the US, the UK, France and Jordan were busy in the skies, also trying to shoot down as many Iranian drones and missiles as possible.

“NATO, the United States and the Arab countries in the region wanted to create barriers for our drones, missiles and cruise missiles, but they failed,” says Belali. “The world was unable to stop us.”

The Israeli military stated that “99%” of projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its partners, with only “a small number” of ballistic missiles reaching the country.

The Iranians claim they managed to hit two locations inside Israel, including the Nevatim air base in the Negev desert.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said the ballistic missiles that struck Israel fell on the air base and caused only minor structural damage.

“Accuracy, less than five meters,” says Brigadier General Ali Belali, in front of two of the ballistic missiles that he says were involved in the attacks against Israel, the Ghadr and the Emad.

The missiles have a range of more than 1,600 kilometers and can carry warheads weighing between 450 and 500 kilograms, he says. Another missile, called Kheybar, which he claims was also used, carries a warhead weighing around 320 kilograms, the general adds.

The largest ballistic missile force in the region

Iran's ballistic missiles have long been a concern for the United States and its allies in the Middle East, who have called for restrictions on the missile program to be part of any deal Washington reaches with Tehran.

The US says Iran has the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East and considers its missile arsenal to be one of its “primary tools of coercion and force projection”.

In the past, Iran has insisted that its missile program is for defensive purposes only.

In recent years, until its attack on Israel, Iran carried out at least five major cross-border ballistic missile attacks in the region, John Krzyzaniak, a research associate at the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control in Washington, D.C., told CNN .

These include two attacks on Islamic State in Syria and three in Iraq that are alleged to have targeted US forces, Kurdish militants and Israeli intelligence.

Also on display at the Tehran exhibition is what Iran says is an American RQ-170 Sentinel drone, made by Lockheed Martin, which it says it shot down in 2011.

US officials told CNN that year the drone was part of a CIA reconnaissance mission that involved both the intelligence community and military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Three years later, Iran said it had managed to copy the drone.

Belali says Iran's missile development is key to the Islamic Republic's defensive strategy.

“In our defense capabilities we do not depend on anyone. We have made good progress in this area and will make further progress. There are achievements that have not yet been commented on.”

Drones are equally important to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The exhibition shows various stages of drone development, from small wooden UAVs used in the Iran-Iraq war, to models that the Iranians claim have stealth capabilities.

One of the most prominent is the Shahed 136, an inexpensive “fire and forget” drone, meaning a flight path is programmed, the UAV is launched, and then flies independently toward the target area.

While the Iranians acknowledge using dozens of Shahed 136 drones to target Israel, both the US and Ukraine also accuse Tehran of giving hundreds to Russia, with Moscow using them to target Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. The Iranians have consistently denied these allegations.

The Shaheds fly low and slow and usually attack in swarms, says the general, standing in front of an unmarked truck that serves as a secret launch pad.

“Everything is pre-programmed. The flight route is chosen according to the enemy’s capabilities and the radar blind spots and all the elements that can help us reach the target.”