‘You got a win. Take the win.’ This is reportedly what US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call following the thwarting of Iran’s Saturday night aerial barrage by Israel and a US-led coalition including Jordan and the United Kingdom. Tehran launched 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles. While 99 per cent were intercepted, five missiles struck Nevatim Airbase in the Negev and a fragment from a projectile injured Amina Hassouna, a seven-year-old Bedouin girl, in Al Fura.
As analysts from the Institute for the Study of War point out, this ‘strike package’ is identical to those routinely deployed against Ukraine by Moscow. The combination of unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles designed to ‘distract and overwhelm air defences in order to allow the ballistic missiles, which are much harder to shoot down, to reach their targets’. The Ukrainians manage to intercept just 46 per cent of ballistics.
The danger is that Iran learns that it is possible to target Israel without paying a price
In tactical terms, Saturday night was a ‘win’ for Israel and her allies.
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