Israel’s multi-wave strike against an assortment of Iranian military bases on Friday was anything but a surprise. From the moment Tehran launched around 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel in retaliation for the Israeli assassinations of Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing for a response. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was emphatic: “Our strike will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results.”
The question, therefore, wasn’t if Israel would take military action against Iran but rather when and how. We have the answer: with a relatively restrained operation from the air in the dead of night. According to reports, at least 100 Israeli aircraft took part in the operation, which involved three bombing runs against Iranian military facilities in at least three provinces. An S-300 air defense system at the Imam Khomeini International Airport was taken out of service; missile manufacturing plants were struck as well; Iran reported four soldiers killed. The entire mission lasted several hours.
Even so, Iranian, Israeli, Arab and U.S. officials are still facing a torrent of questions—none of which are fully resolved.
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