Israeli airstrike said to claim Iran's strategic defence systems

Israel's October 26 airstrike on Tehran reportedly left Iran without its strategic defence capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Israeli military radio station Galgalatz.

The attack targeted Iran's long-range air defence systems but did not affect its stockpile of long-range ballistic missiles.

In a statement from the Israeli military, Galgalatz specified that "all of Iran's strategic defence capabilities have been destroyed, including all long-range anti-aircraft missile batteries."

Following the strike, Tehran is said to have only short-range defence systems remaining. Galgalatz further asserted that Iran will likely lack effective surface-to-air missile capabilities for the next two to three years.

According to open-source information, Iran has an arsenal of over 2,000 long-range ballistic missiles. The Israeli airstrike reportedly damaged Iran's ability to produce new missiles but left the existing stockpile unaffected.

In addition, the military radio station denied online claims that Iranian drone production facilities sustained significant damage.

Notably, Israel launched a series of pre-dawn airstrikes on Iran on October 26, describing the action as a retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles fired at Israel by the Islamic Republic earlier in the month.

The Israeli military reported that its aircraft targeted facilities used by Iran for missile production aimed at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile sites. There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites were struck—targets that would represent a significant escalation—and Israel did not provide an immediate assessment of the damage caused.

Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, although the Islamic Republic claimed that the strikes resulted in only “limited damage,” with state-run media playing down the extent of the attacks.

The Iranian army reported that four soldiers were killed in the Israeli strikes. However, it is possible that the actual number of fatalities may be higher, as Iran appears to be minimising the impact of the attacks.

By Aghakazim Guliyev