(Washington Post) Susannah George - A week of punishing Israeli airstrikes to destroy vast amounts of Syrian military infrastructure peeled away another layer of Iranian defenses in the region, leaving Tehran more exposed than it has been in decades, experts said. Syria's former radar systems could have provided Iran with early warnings of an Israeli attack, said Yoram Schweitzer, a former Israeli intelligence officer, while its advanced Russian air defenses were a "constraining factor" for Israel's maneuverability in the area, according to Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group. "Israel now has a clear route to Iran and will likely continue to have one for the foreseeable future," Brew said. "Iran was exposed already, and the October strikes proved that," Brew added, referring to Israeli attacks that hit some of the country's most sensitive military sites. Even before Assad was toppled, Israel carried out more than 100 airstrikes on Syrian territory since October 2023, killing at least 24 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers.
2024-12-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive