Last week’s Israeli attack on Iran destroyed most of the Islamic Republic’s air defense systems, leaving Iran effectively undefended for now, US and Israeli officials said to Fox News.
Iran is essential without any air defense at the moment after last week’s Israeli attack, according to US officials.
Following the Iranian missile attack earlier this month, Israel, last week, launched airstrikes targeting various sites in Iran.
Though Israel did not target nuclear and oil facilities, it targeted the sites of missiles, production sites of missiles and drones, and air defense systems.
Though there were reports that Israel destroyed Russia-made air defense systems of Iran, the extent has just been learned.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal had reported that the Israeli attacks destroyed all three remaining S-300 batteries in Iran. The fourth had been killed in the previous exchange of air attacks in April.
Now, Fox News has reported that on an internal call, US President’s Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein has said that “Iran is essentially naked right now with no air defenses.”.
Last week, in retaliation for the Iranian attack involving 180 ballistic missiles, nearly 100 Israeli aircraft struck 23 sites in Iran, WSJ cites.
A senior Israeli official told Fox that “the majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out.”
In addition to all of Iran’s S-300 batteries taken down by Israel, three last week and one in April, Israel took out several radar systems in addition to ballistic missile sites used to attack Israel.
A senior official told Fox that taking out the missile sites was not enough, and radar systems also had to be taken out as it is the combined removal that “impacts Iran’s ability to fire more ballistic missiles shortly.”
In her analysis of the attack outcome, Griffin said the Israeli attacks on the air defense and radar systems “really stymie Iran’s potential response.”
