The Times of Israel, citing military officials, reports that the Israeli Air Force is making preparations for “potential strikes” on Iranian nuclear facilities. It says that Netanyahu’s government wants to exploit Iran’s weakness, as indicated by the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Over the last several days, the continual round of airstrikes on Syria, which Israel has described as “one of the largest attack operations in the history” of Israel’s Air Force, has taken out most of the Syrian air defense, making it easier to reach Iran.
Today, the IAF said, as reported by ToI, that it has achieved total air superiority, no longer having to evade Syria’s air defenses. According to the military, the IAF destroyed 86% of the former Assad government’s air defense systems across Syria, totaling 107 separate air defense components and another 47 radars. The numbers include 80% of the short- to medium-range SA-22, also known as the Pantsir-S1; and 90% of the Russian SA-17 medium-range air defense system, also known as the Buk. Times of Israel quoted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as saying: “The Syrian air defense array is one of the strongest in the Middle East and the blow caused to it is a significant achievement for the Air Force’s superiority in the region.”
