The Israeli government announced a significant military operation involving dozens of fighter jets targeting Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facilities, ballistic missile sites, and high-ranking military officials. Israeli intelligence agency Mossad also conducted sabotage missions, targeting Iran’s air defense systems and missile batteries. Reports from Iranian state media indicated that key military leaders, including Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed in the early Friday operations.
Over the past year, Israel has increasingly demonstrated its capability to operate within Iranian territory with little consequence, executing targeted assassinations and conducting airstrikes on critical air defense installations without losing aircraft. Notable strikes occurred in October 2023 and April 2024, which targeted essential S-300 air defense systems and facilities related to solid fuel production for ballistic missiles.
Iran’s air defenses have sustained substantial damage from these operations, a situation compounded by the challenges of rapidly enhancing their defensive capabilities against a technologically advanced adversary. Michael Knights from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy emphasized the complexities inherent in defending such a large country against precise Israeli strikes, noting Iran’s inadequate air defense system.
While Israel possesses the means to cause significant disruption to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, experts suggest it lacks the appropriate heavy munitions and aircraft needed to effectively target Iran’s deep underground nuclear sites. Both military analysts and former officials from the U.S. and Israel acknowledge these limitations, hinting at the complexities surrounding any potential future Israeli operations aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
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