Iran 'essentially naked' after Israel destroys Russia-provided air defence systems, say officials

Iran is essentially without any air defence at the moment after last week’s Israeli attack, according to US officials.

In response to the Iranian missile attack earlier this month, Israel last week struck multiple sites in Iran with airstrikes. While Israel did not strike nuclear and oil facilities, it attacked missile sites, missile and drone production sites, and air defence systems.

While it had previously been reported that Israel destroyed Russia-made air defence systems of Iran, the extent has just been learnt.

Previously, The Wall Street Journal had reported that the Israeli attacks destroyed all three remaining S-300 batteries in Iran. The fourth battery had been destroyed in the previous exchange of aerial attacks in April.

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Now, Fox News has reported that in an internal call, US President’s Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein said “Iran is essentially naked right now with no air defences”.

Last week, in retaliation the Iranian attack involving 180 ballistic missiles, around 100 Israeli aircraft struck 23 sites in Iran, according to WSJ.

‘Majority of Iran’s air defence destroyed’

A senior Israeli official told Fox that “the majority of Iran’s air defence was taken out”.

In addition to all of Iran’s S-300 batteries taken down by Israel, three last week and one in April, Israel also destroyed multiple radar systems in addition to the ballistic missile sites used to attack Israel, according to Fox’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

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A senior official told Fox that eliminating the missile sites was not enough and radar systems also had to be removed as it is the combined removal that “impacts Iran’s ability to fire more ballistic missiles in the near future”.

In her analysis of the attack’s outcome, Griffin said that the Israeli attacks on the air defence and radar systems “really stymies Iran’s potential response”.

Griffin cited well-paced US defence sources to report that the bomb damage assessment of Israeli airstrikes was “far more successful than even Israel expected”.

Griffin noted that S-300 missile defence systems are positioned near Iran’s nuclear sites.

This sends out a message to Iran that even though Israel has spared the nuclear facilities this time, the sites are within reach.

Griffin further reported that the attacks on these air defence and radar systems took place after discussions with the White House and Pentagon. She reported that the targets were chosen to “send a pin-point message to Iran and to degrade Iran’s ability to fire ballistic missiles at Israel anytime soon”.