Israel’s two strikes against Iran’s air defense system this year have left the country vulnerable to future attacks, with all four of Tehran’s Russian-made S-300 missile batteries having been destroyed, Fox News reported on Tuesday.
On April 19, Israel took out one of the S-300 systems in response to Tehran’s first-ever direct attack against the Jewish state. On Oct. 26, in response to a second Iranian attack, Israel targeted 20 sites in Iran in multiple waves of strikes, destroying the remaining three.
“The majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News.
The American media outlet also reported that in an internal call, Biden adviser Amos Hochstein had said “Iran is essentially naked,” with no remaining missile defenses.
The Islamic Republic launched some 300 missiles and drones at Israel on April 13, followed by the firing of around 180 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state on Oct. 1. The vast majority were intercepted on both occasions.
Fox News also reported that Israel had knocked out multiple radar systems that Iran needs to guide its ballistic missiles.
“Removing the radar systems prevents Iran from firing those missiles in the future,” a senior official said.
Israel’s aerial offensive inside Iran also caused severe damage to Tehran’s ballistic missile program, according to analyses of satellite imagery.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Tuesday warned that Jerusalem retains the capacity to strike strategic sites in Iran.
“If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time, and strike very, very hard at both their capabilities and locations that we set aside for now,” said Halevi.
