‘Operation Days of Repentance’ – How Israel’s Attack on Iran Evolved | World news

Israel’s pre-dawn attack on Iran was one of the largest and most complex airstrikes it has ever carried out.

Dozens of aircraft, including Western-made fifth-generation F-35 stealth jets as well as F-16 and F-15 warplanes, flew more than 1,000 miles to attack multiple targets inside Iranincluding the regime’s prized Russian-supplied S-300 air defense systems.

An Israeli source said four of the S-300 systems were hit, along with radars and other air defense capabilities, reducing the risk to Israeli aircraft should they be deployed on a future mission against the Iranian regime.

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The raid – codenamed “Operation Days of Repentance” – also targeted places where Iran manufactured missiles that were used to threaten Israel.

“It was a significant attack… We were able to hit all the targets,” the source said.

The Israeli government had vowed to retaliate Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1 in response to Israeli attacks against Iranian interests.

Israeli air defenses, supported by the US military, intercepted between 85-90% of the projectiles, according to the Israeli source.

However, a number of the 1,000 kg warheads impacted Israeli targets.

“It is a threat that we cannot accept,” the source said.

Israel’s long-awaited retaliatory actions over the weekend came in three waves, with the first attack hitting around 02:00 on October 26, and the last Israeli jet returned to Israel at 06.00.

No aircraft were lost or damaged during the mission.

In what was described as a “complex” operation, Israeli fighter jets, supported by air-to-air refueling and reconnaissance aircraft, left their bases before midnight on 25 October.

They would have to fly more than 1,000 miles to be within range of their target – a journey that would have required the warplanes to refuel en route and fly over enemy airspace.

The planes were armed with so-called “stand-off munitions” – missiles that can be launched from a distance, meaning they did not need to enter Iranian airspace to reach their targets.

‘Plucked with impunity’

Israel has not publicly acknowledged the route of its operation.

However, the Israeli Air Force, including 201 Squadron, which operates F-16s, are believed to have flown over Syria and then into Iraq, firing their weapons from Iraqi airspace before returning home.

The Iraqi government filed a formal complaint with the United Nations on Monday, accusing Israel of a “flagrant violation” by using its airspace to attack Iran.

Open source reporting indicates that Israel then hit targets in about 20 locations in Iran, including near Tehran and in the western part of the country.

The choice of target is the key.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its planes went after missile manufacturing sites as well as Iranian air defense capabilities – including the Russian-made S-300 systems.

Analysts said Israel’s ability to attack these air defense systems using Western technology, such as the F-35 jet, would cause alarm in Tehran because it undermines Russian claims that they provide an effective defense shield against air strikes.

“It shows that even top-notch Russian air defense systems can be picked off with near impunity, which must worry the countries whose capitals are protected by these systems,” said Air Marshal Edward Stringer, a former senior Royal Air Force officer and fighter pilot.

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Russia supplied the S-300 system to Iran. It has also recently delivered the upgraded S-400 system. These are the most capable air defense systems that the Iranian military operates.

Iran has played down the impact of the weekend attack, but the Israeli military has said the mission was a success.

Disrupting Iranian air defenses will reduce the threat to Israeli jets in any future attack, while targeting Iranian missile-making capabilities is intended to reduce the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ability to strike back against Israel.

Potential future targets in Iran

“We didn’t attack just to do something symbolic,” the source said.

“It was very convenient.”

As for how Israel expects Iran to respond, it is not yet clear whether even Tehran has decided what to do.

“We are monitoring the situation and waiting to see how it develops,” the Israeli source said.

“We achieved what we wanted to achieve. We took our revenge. Now the ball is in Iran’s court. We are ready for any case.”