Israeli strikes mean Iran can no longer export missiles to Russia

Iran has been left powerless to export ballistic missiles to Russia for up to two years following Israeli airstrikes on weapons factories across the country.

Over 100 aircraft, including F-35 Lightnings, F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles, air-to-air refuellers and drones, took part in the Israeli attacks in the early hours of Saturday morning.

In particular, Israel appears to have targeted Iranian “planetary mixers”, used to make solid fuel for ballistic missiles.

The exchange of weapons goes both ways and Iran had been reliant on Russian air defences to see off Israeli attacks. Iran purchased the S-300 air defence system from Moscow in a $900 million deal.

In April Israel destroyed the radar of one S-300 battery protecting the Natanz nuclear facility outside Isfahan in retaliation for earlier Iranian strikes, a combination of 300 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones launched in response to the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus.

Israel continued the destruction of Iranian air defences on Saturday, systematically destroying the remaining three S-300 batteries at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and the Malad missile base, according to The New York Times, citing Iranian sources.

“Israel doesn’t fly sorties over Iran, and, unlike Iran, it lacks in long range fires. Israel can literally claim everything, nobody is going to question it nor it is verifiable otherwise.”

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Israel has killed all 4 pathetic S300 air defense that Iran bought from Russia. So Iran is now naked. Meaning Israel is free to fly sorties over Iran now.

I read that these S300 units were killed by missiles fired from F35s from a safe safe standoff distance. While in Iraq airspace. They were surgical strikes
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June 13, 2021

Why Israel’s ‘Special’ F-35 Is Better Than Any Other Stealth Fighter
The first nineteen stealth jets received by Israel will actually be standard F-35A land-based fighters, while the following thirty-one will be true F-35Is modified to integrate Israeli-built hardware.

by Sebastien Roblin

Here’s What You Need to Remember: Over time, Israel will likely acquire additional F-35s, as it intends for the type to replace its fleet of over 320 F-16s, starting with the now very old F-16A Netz aircraft first acquired in 1980s. Reportedly, Israel is even interested in possibly acquiring F-35B jump jets down the line.

On May 22, Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin announced that its F-35I stealth fighters had flown on two combat missions on “different fronts,” showing as proof a photograph of an F-35 overflying Beirut. While details on those missions have not been released—apparently, they were not deployed in a massive Israeli air attack on Iranian forces in Syria that took place on May 9—this nonetheless apparently confirmed the first combat operations undertaken by any variant of the controversial stealth jet, which is currently entering service with the militaries of ten countries after undergoing over two decades of development.

In fact, Israel’s F-35I Adir—or “Mighty Ones”—will be the only F-35 variant to enter service heavily tailored to a foreign country’s specifications. There had been plans for a Canadian CF-35, with a different refueling probe and drogue-parachute to allow landing on short Arctic air strips, but Ottawa dropped out of the F-35 program.

It has become a common practice to create custom variants of fourth-generation jet fighters such as the Su-30, F-15 and F-16 for export clients, made to order with local avionics, weapons and upgrades that suit a particular air force’s doctrine and strategic priorities. Today, Israel operates heavily upgraded F-15I Ra’am (“Thunder”) and two-seater F-16I Sufa fighters. Furthermore, Israel in particular hasn’t hesitated to modify aircraft it has already received fit its needs: for example, in 1981 it rigged its then-new F-15A Eagle air superiority fighters to drop bombs, and used these first-ever strike Eagles to destroy the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor.

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