Iran International reports that around 4 am on April 19, Isfahan province was jolted by three powerful explosions. Israel's missiles had reached far into Iranian territory, a mere six days after Tehran's own drone and missile attack on Israel.
Despite the clear evidence of the strike, the Islamic Republic persisted in its state of denial.
What Does Israel's Strike Reveal About Iran's Air Defence System?
According to US sources, three missiles were launched towards Isfahan’s Eighth Shekari Air Base from outside Iran's airspace, breaching its air defense shield. The strike, as shown by satellite imagery, caused damage to the engagement radar, a crucial component of Iran's S-300 air defense systems. The S-300 is a family of Russian-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems.
Just a day or two before the attack, media affiliated with the Islamic Republic boasted about Iran's air defense system's capability and readiness to confront Israeli fighter jets and precision missiles by publishing images of Iranian made air defense systems.
Underestimation: A Risky Gambit
The precision strike executed by Israeli fighter jets, coupled with the dismantling of the radar engagement system in Iran's S-300 air defense network, starkly exposes the vulnerabilities within Iran's aerial shield.
Disregarding the satellite images that prove the accuracy of Israeli military tech, the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, brushes off the low success rate of the Islamic Republic's missile launches as “secondary issue”.