Air Defense Activity and Explosions seen earlier over the Khuzestan Province of Western Iran, with several Strikes reported against Dezful Military Airport and a nearby Surface-to-Air Missile Site.

This has wider implications for the war in Ukraine as well; Russia has been buying huge numbers of suicide/attack drones from Iran & using them in the Ukraine war.

If Israel did serious damage to Ballistic Missile & Drone stocks & production capabilities & it’s more likely than not Israel succeeded at this, then the supply of Iranian made drones is likely to dry up for Russia.

Especially given that Russia has withheld delivery of advanced Russian Sukhoi SU-35 Flanker-E fighters Tehran ordered almost three years ago, that Russia withheld indefinitely sending production units to frontline Russian fighter squadrons instead.

Russia not fulfilling the order before this strike will put a strain on relations between the two countries. Pressure will grow on Moscow to fill the contract given the damage to Iranian SAM defenses.

Russia is also the primary supplier of those to Tehran, but with Russian operations in Syria & Ukraine its not clear Russia has any S-300 or more advanced S-400 systems to supply to Iran.

China can provide Iran replacement SAMs & licensed copies of Flanker-E fighters which have super maneuverability & advanced AESA radars that would have been very useful tonight, but will they?

Correction: it appears IAF destroyed an S-300 PMU SAM battery near Tehran.

https://x.com/mintelworld/status/1850004946629861607?s=46

SPAAG = Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, a ZSU-23 Shilka.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/military-products/army/air-defense-systems/self-propelled-anti-aircraft-guns/zsu-23-4-shilka-russia-uk

S-300 SAM site South of Tehran.

It appears a Hawk SAM battery South of Tehran was also attacked. The Hawk battery is extremely antiquated.

A primer on Iran’s now likely wrecked SAM defenses:

https://t-intell.com/2018/12/05/the-ayatollahs-shield-sam-deployments-and-capabilities-of-the-iranian-air-defenses-imint/

A good primer on how Iran modified & modernized the SA-5 & Hawk systems it has (had).

https://natoassociation.ca/irans-developing-military-capabilities-part-iii-air-defences-section-i/

According to the military, dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes, participated in the strikes some 1,600 kilometers from Israel. The aircraft safely returned to Israel following the “complex” operation.

The strikes were carried out in several waves over the course of several hours, in various areas of Iran.

And that’s officially a wrap.

The IDF says it has completed its overnight airstrikes against Iranian military sites in response to Iran’s attacks on Israel in recent months, including the 200 ballistic missiles on October 1.

The name of the operation is dubbed by the military “Days of Repentance.”

The IDF says the strikes targeted Iranian military sites, including air defense batteries and missile manufacturing sites — those used in attacks on Israel on October 1 and April 14.

Additionally, the military says the strikes have given the IAF “wider freedom of aerial action in Iran,” and it has a wide bank of targets that can be struck in future operations, if required.