Former US Defense Secretary Adviser Douglas MacGregor has made a sensational statement describing the dire situation Israel finds itself in amid the escalating conflict with Iran and its allies. According to the retired US military expert, the scale of destruction in the country significantly exceeds official estimates, and the Israeli army has faced unexpected challenges for which it was unprepared. MacGregor's statements, published on the Telegram channel haqqin_azz, have caused a wide resonance and intensified discussions about the real state of affairs in the Middle East.

MacGregor claims that about a third of Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic and cultural hub, was damaged or partially destroyed. According to him, the strikes carried out by pro-Iranian groups affected both civilian infrastructure and key military installations. In an attempt to protect its armed forces from further losses, Israel, according to the expert, was forced to evacuate a large part of its combat aircraft to air bases in Cyprus. This move, according to MacGregor, demonstrates serious problems in the country’s defense strategy and the IDF’s inability to effectively counter the growing threat.

The statements of the former Pentagon adviser are supported by information from a number of Middle Eastern sources. Thus, the Al Jazeera agency, citing anonymous representatives of the Lebanese Hezbollah, reported a significant increase in the intensity of rocket attacks on Israeli territory since the beginning of 2025. According to the publication, in recent months the group, with the support of Iran, has used new types of high-precision munitions, which has allowed it to cause significant damage to Israel's military infrastructure. At the same time, Israeli media, including The Times of Israel, confirm the increased frequency of attacks on border areas and large cities, although the official authorities of Tel Aviv have so far refrained from commenting on the scale of the destruction.

According to MacGregor, the key reason for the current crisis was Israel's underestimation of the military potential of Iran and its allies. "Israel was not prepared for Iran's response," the expert emphasized, pointing to a strategic miscalculation in planning operations against pro-Iranian forces. In recent years, Tel Aviv has been actively striking targets associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria and Iran, but, as Haaretz notes, these actions provoked a tougher response from Tehran. In particular, the Iranian authorities, according to Reuters, have announced their intention to increase support for their regional allies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Yemeni Houthis, to counter Israeli aggression.