WSJ: Unlike Ukraine, Iran fails to mount effective air defence

Within 48 hours of launching its military campaign against Iran, Israel claimed full air superiority over western parts of the country, including Tehran—highlighting Iran’s vulnerability and drawing stark contrasts with Ukraine’s success in holding off Russian air power for over three years.

Israeli jets, particularly the stealth F-35s enhanced with local upgrades, rapidly neutralised much of Iran’s air-defence systems. This allowed Israeli forces to switch from long-range missile strikes to cheaper, more efficient short-range guided bombs from within Iranian skies. Military experts point out that this rapid dominance contrasts sharply with Russia’s prolonged failure to control Ukrainian airspace since its invasion in February 2022, The Wall Street Journal writes. 

“The two campaigns are showing the fundamental importance of air superiority in order to succeed in your overall military objectives,” said retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula. “In the case of Russia-Ukraine war, you see what happens when neither side can achieve air superiority: stalemate and devolution to attrition-based warfare. In the case of the Israel-Iran war, it allows them unhindered freedom to attack where they possess air superiority over segments of Iran.”

Iran's patchwork air-defence network—comprising outdated S-300s, Chinese systems, and domestically developed batteries—proved incapable of resisting the Israeli assault. Unlike Ukraine, which used early intelligence warnings in 2022 to scatter and conceal its mobile air defences, Iran was caught off guard. Israeli deception tactics, including misleading statements about delaying the war, played a key role in catching Tehran unprepared.

“Over the past 24 hours, we completed an aerial route to Tehran and conducted an aerial breaching battle. IAF pilots are flying at great risk to their lives, hundreds of kilometers away from Israel, striking hundreds of different targets with precision,” said Israeli military Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

According to Israeli military sources, special operations teams covertly destroyed critical Iranian radar and missile systems in the opening hours of the conflict. This strategy mirrors Ukraine’s own sabotage operations, but on a larger, more coordinated scale. In addition, Israeli intelligence enabled the assassination of key Iranian military leaders, further crippling Tehran’s ability to mount an organised defence.

Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted that Israel’s air force far surpasses Russia’s in capability and training. 

“The asymmetry in qualitative capability between Israel’s air force and Russia is also vast and can be easily observed,” he said.

Experts also highlight Iran’s internal weaknesses as a contributing factor. Unlike Ukraine, which demonstrated remarkable resilience and unity, Iran’s regime is widely unpopular, making it more susceptible to infiltration and sabotage.

Despite suffering heavy losses, Iran continues to launch ballistic missile salvos at Israeli cities. However, with Israeli aircraft now striking missile launch sites before rockets are fired, Tehran’s retaliatory options are increasingly limited.

Retired US Gen. Timothy Ray emphasised the strategic shift, stating that "the best way to shoot a missile is on the ground while it’s in a container, and not in the air while it’s flying.”

“What the Israelis are doing is just steadily leveraging an advantage," he added. 

As the war enters its next phase, Iran’s disorganised defences and inability to adapt stand in sharp contrast to Ukraine’s enduring and innovative resistance—offering a clear lesson in modern military preparedness, WSJ writes.

By Sabina Mammadli