Iran left reeling from Netanyahu’s calculated revenge mission

They had boasted of Israeli ‘weakness’, but then the cruise missiles struck first Just after 2:15 a.m. on Saturday, the Iranians seemed completely unprepared.

As the regime massed planes and tried to stop the Israeli attack with outdated air defenses, it took only a few minutes for plumes of smoke to rise around Tehran.

In a humiliating admission, Iran acknowledged that its capital was hit in a swift four-hour IDF operation in which key nuclear and oil targets were overlooked by Israel. under pressure from the US to prevent an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East.

After weeks of speculation, leaks and fierce fighting against Iranian allies on its borders, Israel finally launched its retaliation against Tehran’s missile barrage last month.

Codenamed “Days of Repentance,” Israel declared “mission complete” after bombing strategic military targets in the Islamic Republic and causing panic in Iranian cities by the time fighter jets returned home.

Benjamin NetanyahuIsrael’s prime minister had promised that Iran would “pay for it” after launching a barrage of 180 missiles and drones that rained down on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on October 1.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, he was sitting in a war room, wearing a black puffer jacket and a blue shirt, when the order was given to fire the first rockets towards Tehran, southern Khuzestan and western Ilam provinces.

He was flanked by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and generals from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) headquarters in Kirya, Tel Aviv, as fighter jets attacked the factories and storage facilities used to deploy the weapons 1,500 km (932 mi) in to launch into the air. other direction three weeks ago.

At one point, Major General Herzi Halevi, who commanded the mission, looked tense as General Tomer Bar, the air force commander, gave instructions via a military telephone as the first wave was against Iranian air defenses completed.

When the first of the missiles fired from supersonic F-35 stealth fighters struck, Iran tried to play down the impact of the attack as videos emerged showing Tehran’s apocalyptic skyline.

American and Israeli officials claimed as much Three waves of strikes took placefirst targeting the country’s air defense systems.

The screech of ballistic missiles descending toward the ground before crashing into their targets was followed by orange flashes in the sky and a fireworks-like sound as Iran tried to shoot down incoming missiles with what remained of its air defense system.

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets, supported by tankers and spy planes, then returned with two more waves targeting the bases and factories of drones and missiles that could be used in a repeat of Iran’s latest attack on Israel.

In Khuzestan, the gray cloudy sky was lit up as rockets exploded at the Dezful military airport and a nearby surface-to-air missile site.

Smoke was seen rising from an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) airbase near the city of Khojir, while Iranian aircraft reportedly heard over Tehran had no impact.

In desperation, some Iranian forces resorted to primitive measures, unsuccessfully trying to use anti-aircraft guns to target long-range missiles.

Explosions were also reported in Isfahan, home to a military base and a missile production factory, and in Mashhad, home to an Iranian airport.

Telegram/Saberin_IR

Among the other targets reportedly hit were the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and Russian S-300 air defenses at Imam Khomeini International Airport near Tehran.

One of several Israeli drones also struck the secret Parchin military base on the outskirts of the capital, while the other autonomous aircraft was shot down.

Four Iranian soldiers were killed during the attacks, including an officer with the rank of major.

As Iran’s military command urged citizens to maintain “unity and calm” during the crisis, drivers lined up for fuel before dawn.

Long after the last Israeli planes returned home, Iranian airspace was closed until 9 a.m.

In what it told allies to prevent further escalation, Israel appeared to have stopped attacking nuclear facilities and oil refineries, which would have had devastating consequences Iranfocused instead on thwarting “imminent threats to the State of Israel.”

Israel is said to have been ready to attack for days, despite some details of the planning having been leaked from the US.

Some reports say they waited until Saturday morning because of the weather.

‘End of direct conflict’

Nevertheless, the surprisingly limited nature of the attack may have been intended to give Tehran a turn-off, a hope recognized by the White House, which noted that this should be “the end of direct conflict” between the two countries.

What Iran thinks about this remains unclear. Ahead of the attack, General Hossein Salami had warned Israel not to “repeat your mistake” and said it would “react painfully,” adding: “We know the weakness of the enemy (Israel).

However, it is Iran that now remains dangerously vulnerable if it chooses to launch a new salvo against Israel, dismantling some of its air defense systems and decimating missile launch sites.

X/@IDF

Iran’s National Air Defense Headquarters initially said its “integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered this aggressive action.”

But it subsequently confirmed attacks on “military centers” in Tehran, southern Khuzestan and western Ilam provinces.

The headquarters described the Israeli operation as “criminal and illegal,” adding: “Despite previous warnings… to refrain from adventurous actions, this illegitimate regime carried out a provocative attack.”

The question now is whether the battle between the two states, which do not share a border, will continue Ayatollah Ali Khameneithe Iranian supreme leader, and how the country will respond.

‘A heavy price’

Sources told Tasnim, the IRGC-affiliated news agency, that “Iran is ready to respond to any act of aggression by Israel,” but as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem woke up to the news of the attack, Israel issued a new warning to Tehran.

Lt. Col. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said: “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake and begins a new round of escalation, we will be obliged to respond.

“Our message is clear: anyone who threatens the State of Israel and seeks to drag the region into a broader escalation will pay a high price.”

Iran’s state television launched a coordinated effort on Saturday to project normalcy across the country following the Israeli attacks, with channels broadcasting live scenes from several cities to demonstrate “business as usual”.

But the show of calm was repeatedly interrupted by experts demanding a strong response.

“They have officially attacked Iran directly and the country should have an appropriate response to balance it out,” an analyst said on state TV.

For the time being, the IDF’s focus will return to the years-long war in Gaza against the Iranian-backed Hamas and… fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the recent ground invasion.

Within hours of the retaliation, Hezbollah continued its daily rocket fire across the border with Lebanon launching more than 80 rockets towards Israel.

Israelis will hope that the sirens will no longer sound due to a direct attack by Iran, the terror group’s backer.

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