(Ynet News) Ron Ben-Yishai - The unprecedented Iranian attack against Israel has failed, due to the IDF's defensive plan which relied on precise military intelligence and the exceptional capabilities of the Air Force pilots and their active protection systems. Israel needs to deter Iran. The ayatollahs deliberately attacked Israel, aiming to cause significant damage. If Israel fails to respond to this attack aggressively, the ayatollahs and their allies - as well as regional countries willing to normalize their relations with Israel - may see it as weakness. At the same time, Israel must consider the aggressive demand by the U.S., the UK, France, and Germany that Israel refrain from a response that could lead to a regional war. Israel has an interest in responding to the Western demand and returning to focus on the wars in Gaza and the northern border, leaving the schooling of Iran for another opportunity. In any case, response and revenge are dishes best served cold. It's better to plan them well to ensure their effectiveness, even if it takes time and is done covertly. When considering a response, priority should be given to maintaining Israel's legitimacy in the eyes of the West. Deterrence is a passing thing by its nature, whereas the alliance with the West and the regional defense architecture are strategic assets to Israel. As a result of early detection, Israel's air defense system was able to focus its efforts and intercept the ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles launches by Iran before they reached its territory. Out of 100 ballistic missiles fired, only a handful crossed into Israeli airspace. Most of the ballistic missiles were intercepted by the Arrow and David's Sling air-defense systems. Similarly, not a single drone or cruise missile out of the 200 fired reached the country. The U.S. and its allies intercepted around 70 missiles, with the rest downed by Israeli Air Force fighter jets. Iran, naturally, is trying to turn its failure into a victory in the eyes of its domestic audience using fake news, but the Iranian public will know what really happened within days, and this will mark another blow to the regime's credibility and its ability to threaten its surroundings. This is another Israeli achievement in repelling this attack.
2024-04-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive