DrAccording to satellite images, the Israeli retaliatory attack against Iran last weekend caused more damage than the government in Tehran admitted. Planet Labs PBC released satellite images taken Monday morning near Isfahan airport and air base, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Tehran.
Accordingly, it appears that the radar system of the S-300 anti-aircraft battery was hit. Therefore, the Israeli attack was more effective than the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13.
“This strike demonstrates Israel’s ability to penetrate Iran’s air defense system,” said Nicole Grajewski, a nuclear security expert at the Carnegie Endowment and author of a forthcoming book on Russia and Iran. “The accuracy of the shot was amazing.”
This photo shows burn marks surrounding what analysts believe to be a radar system from a Russian S-300 missile battery
Source: German News Agency/-
This is what the Russian S-300 air defense system looks like – photo from Tehran
Source: German News Agency/Wahid Salmi
Iran and Israel have been waging a kind of shadow war against each other for years, which escalated in April when two Iranian generals, among others, were killed in an attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that was attributed to Israel. Iran responded with a major attack with missiles, cruise missiles and drones, almost all of which were intercepted by Israel.
Then Iranian air defenses opened fire on Friday, and Iran imposed a ban on commercial flights in large parts of the country. Officials tried to downplay the importance of the Israeli attack, saying only that it included a series of small drones.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in an interview with NBC, “What happened (…) was not an attack.” “They were more like the toys our kids play with — not drones.”
But satellite images showed a different picture. Initial satellite images showed signs of fire around the facilities in Isfahan, although it was not clear what was at the site. In images taken Monday, image analyst Chris Biggers sees burn marks around the so-called foldable radar system used for the Russian S-300 system.
Other components of the missile system appear to have been removed from the facility before the attack, even though it provides protection for Iran's underground nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz. “Given the system, the location, and the way it was posted, this is a strong message,” Biggers wrote.
On the other hand, Iran stuck to its narrative. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said: “The concerned authorities reported that this attack did not cause any damage and that the Iranian defense system carried out its tasks.” “Therefore, we believe that this matter does not deserve to be raised.”
The European Union is now moving forward with its plans to impose new sanctions on Iran. At a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, foreign ministers from the 27 member states instructed EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell to make concrete proposals. These sanctions are intended to enable further trade restrictions to make it difficult for the country to build and develop drones and missiles.
It is also planned to impose punitive measures against individuals, organizations and companies involved in the production of drones and missiles and their delivery to Iran’s allies in the Middle East.
