(NewsReady.com) – Almost a week after Iran launched a massive bombardment against Israel, the Jewish state has hit back. Multiple weapons were aimed at a military base in central Iran. However, so far, the details of the attack are shrouded in mystery, and neither Israel nor Iran seem to want to reveal them.
On April 13, the Iranian regime attacked Israel with over 300 drones and missiles. Although President Joe Biden and other Western leaders urged Israel to show “restraint,” there was never any real chance Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hold back from retaliating. On April 19, the media started reporting at least three explosions near an airbase near Isfahan, in central Iran. When CNN asked Israeli officials if the country had carried out an attack, they refused to answer. Meanwhile, Iranian spokesmen claimed the attack had been successfully intercepted; foreign minister Hossein Abdollahian said the drones were “more like toys our children play with,” and insisted no damage had been done.
Now, we know that isn’t entirely true. Satellite imagery from the Shekari Air Base shows that a 30N6 “FLAP LID” radar had been damaged or destroyed. The FLAP LID is a missile guidance radar, part of the Russian-made S300 system. Roughly equivalent to early versions of the US Patriot missile, the S-300 is one of Iran’s most effective anti-aircraft missiles, and they’re deployed at the Shekari base because one of Iran’s main nuclear research facilities is also located near Isfahan. Without the FLAP LID radar, the S-300 system can’t guide its missiles toward incoming missiles or aircraft.
Although Israel won’t officially confirm it was behind the attack, it’s no secret that it was. Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has criticized the attack as “lame,” implying it should have been bigger and also making clear Israel launched it. However, it might have been big enough. By targeting a key component of an air defense system, Israel has shown that it can knock down the defenses around key Iranian sites, including the Natanz nuclear complex. That sends a message to Tehran that none of its most important assets are safe.
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