Israel’s apparent precise strikes, which struck close to military and nuclear sites deep within Iran, gave the world fresh information into the capabilities of both forces while posing little threat to Iran’s defenses. This proved Israel’s military superiority over its foe.
The world community, Israel, and Iran all expressed optimism that Friday’s bombings would put an end to the risky 19-day series of strikes and counterstrikes, a well-reported test between two bitter enemies who had previously refrained from engaging in most direct conflict.
The shooting of Iranian generals by alleged Israelis at an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria on April 1 marked the start of open combat. This led to Iran’s last-weekend bombardment of over 300 missiles and drones in retaliation, which the U.S., Israel, and regional and international partners helped bat down without significant damage in Israel. And then came Friday’s apparent Israeli strike.
Regional security analysts projected that the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the nation’s allies would emerge buoyed by the Israeli military’s superior performance as all sides took stock. But over the course of the more than two weeks of hostilities, Israel and Iran had both seemed to be delaying the use of their full military might in response to world calls, preferring to convey a message rather than go all out for a full-scale conflict.
However, experts also issued a warning: Iran had not included Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region that are associated with Iran in the main assault, which would have given it a significant military edge over Israel. Particularly in any confrontation with several fronts, Hezbollah has the capacity to put Israel’s ability to defend itself under pressure.
Ultimately, “the most important thing to remember is that until Iran does absolutely everything at its disposal all at once, it is just David and not the Goliath in this equation,” said Charles Lister, a senior fellow and longtime regional researcher at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.
Lister asserted that “the Israelis have every single edge on every single military level” aside from those Iranian surrogate forces.
Iranian state media reported that the country’s air defense batteries opened fire in many areas on Friday in response to reports of drone attacks. According to Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander of the Iranian army, personnel targeted multiple flying objects.
According to Lister, it seemed like a single mission carried out by a few Israeli planes. He said that after leaving Syrian airspace, it seems as though they only fired two or three Blue Sparrow air-to-surface missiles into Iran, most likely from a stance of defiance in Iraq, Iran’s neighbor.
Iran claimed to have fired missiles targeting a significant air base close to Isfahan. Moreover, locations connected to Iran’s nuclear program are located in Isfahan also is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks.
Israel has not taken responsibility for either the April 1 or Friday strikes.
The Jewish Institute for National Security of America has highlighted that Israel could do more damage if it decides to launch a larger strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran’s recent barrage appears to have used up most of its 150 long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel, more than 1,000 miles away.
The distance involved and easy tracking of missile deployments by overhead space sensors and regional radar make it difficult for Iran to generate a bolt from the blue against Israel. Israel has demonstrated that it can now hit Iran from its soil with missiles, maybe even drones. Iran’s performance Friday may have raised doubts about its ability to defend against such an attack, as it is about 80 times the size of Israel and thus has much more territory to defend.
Israel demonstrated that it can rally support from powerful regional and international countries, both Arab and Western, to defend against Iran. The two weeks of hostilities also provided the biggest showcase yet of the growing ability of Israel to work with Arab nations, its previous enemies, under the framework of U.S. Central Command.
(AP)
