Israel strikes Russian defences in Iran raid

ISRAEL’S attack on Iran appears to have been a highly precise strike that took out the key part of a Russian-made air defence system at a major Isfahan air base, according to reports.

Satellite imagery showed a “flip radar” component of the S-300 air defence battery either damaged or destroyed on Friday, according to analysts and The New York Times.

“A probable damaged 30N6E target engagement radar was visible in imagery,” said Chris Biggers, a former US military analyst who now works at satellite imagery analytics company HawkEye 360.

Four vehicles carrying missiles had also been moved but apparently not damaged, he said: “Their status and location is currently unclear.”

Iran was given the S-300 air defence battery by Russia in 2016.

The damaged radar equipment is near the 8th Shekari airbase, just northeast of Isfahan, a central Iranian city where the sounds of multiple explosions were reported on Friday morning.

A report by CNN, also citing satellite imagery, said there was no evidence of extensive damage, suggesting it was a deliberately limited attack.

“There [do] not appear to be any large craters in the ground and there are no apparent destroyed buildings,” CNN’s report said.

Israeli media reports also suggested that the attack was targeting infrastructure used to provide air cover to Natanz, a secretive facility involved in Iran’s nuclear programme.

Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence and defence analyst, told The Telegraph: “From what we have seen, Israel’s strike intended to neutralise Iran’s air defence advance systems that cover Natanz and Isfahan’s nuclear sites that are involved in enrichment and could convert it to a uranium metal for a bomb.

“This is like a yellow card in football before the red card that is a full strike to destroy them.”

He claimed the “limited attacks” mean Iran will now scramble to restore defence systems, starting with those around Isfahan, a key area in terms of Iran’s nuclear and defence capabilities.