Israel wants to destroy S-300 missiles protecting Iran's nuclear facilities

The New York Times, citing two unnamed Iranian officials, reported that one of the targets of Israel's airstrike early this morning (October 26) was an S-300 air defense missile system at Imam Khomeini International Airport on the outskirts of Tehran.

According to the same source, Iran uses S-300 missiles to protect key nuclear facilities. In April, Israel also attempted to destroy these systems.

The New York Times added that at least three missile bases belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were attacked today, including the Parchin base on the outskirts of Tehran.

Iran's S300 missile system during a military parade in 2017. (Photo: AP)

Iranian officials said that how Iran responds to Israel will depend on the severity and scope of the attack.

Israel launched a large-scale air campaign against Iran in response to Tehran's ballistic missile launch earlier this month. Tel Aviv said it targeted military objectives in Tehran, Ilam, and Khuzestan, and warned it would retaliate if Iran attacked in kind.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Israel had carried out three waves of attacks on Iranian military targets. Among the military sites targeted were anti-aircraft batteries and ballistic missile production facilities. These were the same sites used in Iran's latest direct attack on Israel on October 1st and an earlier attack on April 14th.

The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported that the attack on Iran involved more than 100 fighter jets, including F-35 stealth fighters. All Israeli aircraft returned safely to base after the operation concluded.

Iran's state news agency IRNA claimed the Israeli attack was "completely intercepted" by the country's air defense system. At least two Iranian soldiers were killed in the attack.

However, according to Axios, Israel warned Iran against retaliatory airstrikes on the morning of October 26, and also sent a message to Tehran not to retaliate in order to prevent the tit-for-tat attacks from escalating into a wider conflict.

Sky News , citing an anonymous source, reported that Russia had provided Iran with intelligence hours in advance about the Israeli airstrikes.

Tra Khanh (Source: The New York Times)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/israel-muon-pha-huy-cac-ten-lua-s-300-bao-ve-co-so-hat-nhan-cua-iran-ar904054.html