Academy SITREP – Israel Commences Retaliatory Strikes on Iran
What has Happened:
- This evening, Israel launched its highly anticipated retaliatory strikes against Iran in response to the ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier this month.
- The initial attack hit military targets such as a barracks and a weapons depot near Tehran and was followed up by a second round of strikes.
- Iranian news has also reported that dozens of jets hit targets in the Iranian cities of Mashhad (hometown of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei) and Karaj (home to a nuclear research center).
- However, the IDF stated that these strikes did not include nuclear or energy infrastructure targets.
- The United States is not participating in the Israeli military’s operations against Iran, though it was notified in advance.
- U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets arrived in the Middle East from Germany ahead of the expected strike and the U.S. also sent a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel in mid-October to augment Israel’s missile defense forces.
- Iran indicated that its October 1st strike on Israel was in response to Israel’s killing of Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, and Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was assassinated in Tehran in late July.
- These strikes may not be the end of Israel’s planned retaliation, and it remains to be seen how Iran will respond to this and potentially other rounds of attacks.
- Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently competed a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where he attempted to get Hamas and Israel to agree to a ceasefire.
Why it Matters:
“Early reporting and statements from the IDF are that these operations include ‘precise strikes on military targets and are intended to be a self-defense response’ in retaliation for Iran’s October 1st ballistic missile attacks on Israel. It is being reported that a barracks and a weapons depot were hit. It appears that this measured IDF response is intended to not widen the war while deterring Iran from retaliating. Attacking military targets only and avoiding Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities is what was expected. It was also reported that the U.S. was notified before the attacks and the limited strikes on military targets only send a signal that Prime Minister Netanyahu is complying with President Biden’s requests for a limited response. The Biden administration recently sent a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-ballistic missile system to Israel. The limited nature of this type of attack would message that Israel is trying to de-escalate the situation and this could result in no retaliatory strikes by Iran. Finally, Israel is conducting a phased war to devastate Hamas first and Hezbollah second. They may not want to open themselves up to a full-scale war with Iran until the first two objectives have been met.” – General Robert Walsh