Last week’s Israeli strike on Iran was designed to show a new smart missile’s ability to evade detection and exactly hit targets

New information from foreign sources indicates that Israel demonstrated new offensive capabilities in the “message” that it delivered early Thursday morning to three Iranian bases.

Iran’s S-300 air defense in Isfahan, protecting its Natanz nuclear site, was destroyed without any detection by missiles fired from outside Iranian air space, multiple sources have confirmed.

The New York Times, Fox News, and other foreign reports said that Israel undertook the attack, though Jerusalem has been silent about it. US Senator Marco Rubio tweeted, “Israel has the ability to conduct strikes against targets inside Iran without entering Iranian air space from aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace.”

Other reports said the missile was a homegrown Israeli air-to-surface missile able to fly at supersonic speeds and avoid radar detection, dubbed the “Rampage.”

There have been reports that the first stage of a two-stage Israeli-made missile was in Iraq, indicating that at least one missile was fired from there.

The message to Iran

Some have pooh-poohed the Israeli response to a barrage of hundreds of aerial objects sent by Iran the previous Saturday night. However, the message to the Iranians is that their nuclear facilities could just as well have been hit. By letting the Iranian save face, the stealthy attack avoided an escalation, at least for now.

Iran can prevent the public from seeing the losses of S-300 missile defense systems, but they are visible via satellite imagery.

The S-300 is the most advanced anti-aircraft system the Islamic Republic possesses. For years, it spent years pressing Russia to sell the missile system. Now it proves helpless before the capabilities of the Israeli-made Rampage.

Analysis of satellite imagery obtained by Iran International confirms media reports that a central part of the S-300 air defense system at an Iranian air base in Isfahan was hit by a presumed Israeli attack early Friday.

📷 @FardadFarahzad via @SkyWatchApps pic.twitter.com/s8ViDTqcFh

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 21, 2024

Iran falsely claimed no damage from the Israeli strike and said that it shot down a few minor drones that tried to attack, describing them as equivalent to a child’s toys.

But on Sunday morning, Iran International published footage of the damage caused to the Isfahan base as a result of the strike.