Israeli 'Rampage' missile strikes Iranian radar, escalating tensions

Israeli drones conducted an attack in Iran's Isfahan province, with Jarosław Kociszewski, a Polish Middle East situation expert, divulging details about the strike's impacts.

The drone assault took place overnight from Thursday to Friday in the Isfahan province of Iran. Despite the attack, the region's nuclear facilities were unharmed. This was a retaliatory act against a former Iranian assault on Israel, which Israel's missile defense systems neutralized with assistance from international allies.

On Sunday, via the X service, Jarosław Kociszewski revealed that an S-300 radar system was destroyed in the Israeli strike.

"High-quality photos from before and after the attack took some time to emerge," the report stated. Kociszewski, emphasizing the significance of the S-300, remarked, "It's a high-value target, with the attack and its conveyed message bearing immense importance."

"Israel's ability to hit and annihilate the core of a sophisticated air defense system within a highly secure and critical base deep inside Iran denotes its capacity to target virtually anywhere," Kociszewski pointed out.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan, on Sunday, reported that a missile believed to have been launched by Israel at an Iranian nuclear site overnight from Thursday to Friday was the domestically developed "Rampage" air-to-ground missile.

Based on photographic evidence and the extent of damage caused, the "Rampage" missile was identified as the weapon used in the attack, according to the Israeli broadcast.

With a length of about 15 feet 5 inches and capable of supersonic speeds, the self-guiding "Rampage" missile presents challenges for air defense systems in detection and interception. Israel unveiled it in 2018, and it saw its first combat use in 2019 during a Syrian operation.

Israeli firms Military Industries Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the missile's manufacturers, have designed the over half-ton "Rampage" to breach and demolish fortified locations, including bunkers.

On Saturday, the "New York Times," citing Iranian sources, reported that the missile targeted at the Iranian nuclear facility was equipped with technology enabling it to evade Iranian missile defenses.

Sources told the "NYT" that the launch aircraft was positioned well away from both Iranian and Israeli airspaces.

Source: X/PAP