AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
An Israeli security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, told Business Insider on Monday that the strikes on Iranian military targets were “very precise, effective, and powerful.”
The official said the strikes “accurately targeted” Iran’s radars and air-defense systems, putting the country at a “disadvantage.”
Israel struck several S-300s, a Russian-made surface-to-air missile system considered to be the most advanced air-defense battery that Iran operates. It is possible that Tehran doesn’t have any functional ones left.
Conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in an analysis last week that the retaliatory strikes “significantly degraded” Iran’s integrated air-defense system and made future Israeli strikes against the country “easier and less risky.”
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“Their supplies are now set, which should affect their calculus,” the security official said of Iran’s potential retaliation against Israel.
Any Iranian response could plunge the Middle East into even more conflict, which has engulfed the region since Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel. It could also further draw in the US military, which played an active role in defending Israel from Iran’s attacks in April and October.
The US recently moved an advanced missile-defense battery to Israel and announced the deployment of more warships, fighter and tanker aircraft, and long-range bombers to the region on Friday.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the force posture changes were made “in keeping with our commitments to the protection of US citizens and forces in the Middle East, the defense of Israel, and de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy.”