The Israeli attack on Iran appears to have been a highly precise strike that destroyed a key part of a Russian-made air defense system at a major air base in Isfahan, according to reports.
Satellite images on Friday showed an “inverted radar” component of the S-300 air defense battery damaged or destroyed, according to analysts and the New York Times.
“A likely damaged 30N6E target engagement radar was visible in the images,” said Chris Biggers, a former U.S. military analyst who now works for satellite image analysis company HawkEye 360.
Four vehicles carrying missiles were also moved but did not appear damaged, he said: “Their status and location is unclear at this time.”
Iran received the S-300 air defense battery from Russia in 2016.
The damaged radar equipment is near the 8th Shekari Air Base, just northeast of Isfahan, a city in central Iran where sounds of multiple explosions were reported early Friday morning.
A CNN report, also citing satellite imagery, said there was no evidence of significant damage to the air base, suggesting it was a deliberately limited attack.
“There do not appear to be any large craters in the ground and there are no apparently destroyed buildings,” the CNN report said.
Israeli media also suggested the attack targeted infrastructure used to provide air cover at Natanz, a secret facility involved in Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli intelligence and defense analyst Ronen Solomon told the Telegraph: “From what we saw, the Israeli strike was aimed at neutralizing Iran’s advanced air defense systems that cover nuclear sites of Natanz and Isfahan which are involved in enrichment and could convert it to uranium metal for some time. bomb.
“It’s like a yellow card in football before the red card which is a complete strike to destroy them.”
Limited attacks
He said the “limited attacks” mean Iran will now scramble to restore its defense systems, starting with those around the city of Isfahan, a key area in terms of its nuclear and defense capabilities. ‘Iran.
Senior US military sources told Fox News that the attack was intended to warn Tehran that Israel is capable of halting its nuclear program if tensions escalate further. This shows that Israel “can reach out and touch you,” the source said.
The Israeli strike was intended to show Tehran that it could bypass Iranian defense systems undetected and cripple them using a fraction of the firepower Iran deployed last week, Western officials told The New York Times.
Iranian officials have sought to downplay the significance of the attack and Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility, suggesting both sides are eager to draw a line under current hostilities.
“What happened last night was not a strike,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told NBC News. “They looked more like toys our kids play with, not drones.”
When Mr. Amir-Abdollahian was asked, as he walked past a group of other journalists, if he had any comments on Friday’s attack, a member of his delegation replied: “What strike?”
🇮🇷😂🇮🇱Reporters asked Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahain if he had any comments on today’s Zionist strikes and whether Iran would retaliate.
While the minister made no comment, a member of his delegation responded: “What strike? https://t.co/N1szdEdG2o pic.twitter.com/g7xJfdhjxQ– Hawkeye1812Z (@Hawkeye1745) April 19, 2024
This comes after Iran launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel last weekend, which was almost entirely intercepted by the air defenses of Israel and its allies.
The attack was in retaliation for a recent Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, which killed a senior member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard forces.
However, overnight, Iran’s foreign minister warned Israel against any further military action and said he was ready to launch another major strike against Israel if that happened.
“If Israel wants to engage in new adventurism and acts against Iran’s interests, our next response will be immediate and will be at the maximum level,” Mr. Amir-Abdollahian said.
“The pro-Zionist regime media, in a desperate effort, tried to extract victory from their defeat, while the downed mini-drones caused no damage or casualties,” he also said.
Also on Saturday, at least one person was killed in an attack on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. It was not clear who was behind the attack, with the United States denying any involvement.
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