Wiping out surface-to-air missiles is how you win a modern air war — and Israel's gotten very good at it
Israel has been pummeling Iran's arsenal of air defenses, hitting air bases and knocking out its missiles to open the airspace up for further strikes.
Targeting enemy surface-to-air missiles to secure air superiority is a critical early move in an air war like Israel's, where the primary objective is to bomb the enemy's combat capabilities, comprehensively degrading its ability to fight.
It's a tactic known as suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses. Israel was instrumental in advancing this type of warfare after failure taught a hard lesson in the 70s. In the decades since, it has executed it against foes repeatedly.
Last week, the Israeli military launched "Operation Rising Lion, "a combat operation aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear program, as well as severely degrading its military capabilities, including ballistic missile programs and air defenses. Israel's armed forces have targeted military leaders and critical defensive capabilities as well.
The air campaign has seen the Israeli Air Force strike Iranian surface-to-air missile assets and other targets, heavily weakening Iran's ability to maintain control over its skies. Earlier this week, the Israeli Air Force said its bombing runs from fighter jets like F-35Is, F-16s, and F-15s had given it air superiority over large areas of Iran, including the capital Tehran.
The unique, fifth-generation F-35 Adirs of the Israeli Air Force are, despite limited information on their activities, believed to have played a critical role in the operations against Iran, as this is exactly what the jets were made for: penetrating contested air to weaken enemy defenses.
The Israeli military said recently that it had destroyed more than 70 Iranian air-defense batteries, weapons armed with surface-to-air missiles. Destroying those enemy air defenses is widely seen as absolutely imperative in modern air campaigns, Douglas Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said. "The ability to access their domain unfettered is fundamental to really be able to fight competently."
Crippling enemy's air defenses to clear the way for an air war is a tactic that stems from lessons learned from Israel's failures in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and US experiences in Vietnam.
During its war, Israel lost 102 aircraft in the fight, many to enemy surface-to-air missile batteries. The losses spurred the development of strategies focused on suppressing enemy air defenses and destroying them.
Israel masterfully demonstrated the tactic during Operation Mole Cricket 19, an operation carried out during the 1982 Lebanon War. The Syrian military had fortified eastern Lebanon with sophisticated Soviet-supplied air defense systems, effectively turning Beqaa Valley into a no-fly zone filled with surface-to-air missiles.
Israel broke the enemy air defense network with decoys and deception, electronic warfare, and precision air strikes. It didn't even have the stealth aircraft it has today. The strikes on the SAM batteries cleared the way for Israeli F-15s and F-16s to break through and dominate the skies, destroying dozens of hostile fighters.
Western militaries studied the Israeli operation's success, as no other military had ever done anything quite like that. In the early 1990s, the US employed the tactic in Operation Desert Storm, breaking open Iraq's skies for more permissive combat operations with air cover, and then, NATO's forces did the same in Serbia a little later that same decade.
Eliminating enemy air defenses can rely on high-cost, specialized weapons able to target hidden, high-value air defense radars, explained Patrycja Bazylczyk, a program manager and research associate with the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. These include systems like anti-radition missiles.
"By leveraging intelligence-gathering and pre-positioned drones within Iranian territory to target air defense assets, Israel underscores how low-cost drones can impose outsized losses on Iranian long-range strike capabilities," she added. Indeed, this kind of reconnaissance was key in Beqaa Valley as well.
There are few details on Israel's operation beyond targets eliminated, but Birkey said its assault on Iran's air defenses likely included broad array of effects employed simultaneously.
"That might include cyberattacks to bring down networks that could control command and control. It might be electronic warfare to jam certain radars and other communications means," he said.
It could involve high-end standoff missiles, stealth aircraft, and drones, too. Taking out enemy air defense batteries is a fast, complex operation that requires insight into how the enemy thinks and operates, as well as detailed mapping out of which targets need to be hit with what and when.
Now, with more control over Iran's skies, "Israeli aircraft and drones can go after military targets like a fish in a barrel," Bazylczyk said.
Like Israel's experiences during the Yom Kippur War, the importance of the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission isn't only seen in victories, but also failures as well.
Russia's failures in the Ukraine war to wipe out enemy air defenses cost the Russian Air Force air superiority, preventing a quicker resolution, as Russian air assets have been largely unable to provide critical close air support for ground forces. It's led instead to a grinding war of attrition in which both sides are locked in something of a stalemate, burning through artillery, weapons, and soldiers.
Israel's current campaign against Iran comes on the heels of strikes against Iranian defensive capabilities last fall. Its main targets are related to Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran has said is for civilian purposes, although enrichment levels and secretive nuclear activity have raised concerns in the West.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and in recent days has increased rhetoric against Iran and its leadership. The US claims it wasn't involved in Israel's initial attacks, but Trump has signaled that he is now mulling a decision on US strikes against Iran. He has opened a two-week negotiating window.
In the meantime, the US Navy has warships, including an aircraft carrier and several surface ships, stationed in and around the Middle East. Some of these assets have provided air defense for Israel, helping shield it from retaliatory Iranian missile strikes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iranian missiles intercepted over Jerusalem after US attacks Iran nuclear sites
Iranian missiles could be seen in the sky over Jerusalem early Sunday after the United States earlier struck three Iranian nuclear sites. Air raid sirens and explosions could be heard as the missiles flew overhead and were intercepted.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says US airstrikes 'obliterated' Iran's key nuclear sites
STORY: The U.S. struck three key nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump said on Saturday. He warned that Tehran would face more attacks if it didn't agree to peace. "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Trump's decision to join Israel's military campaign against Iran represents a major escalation of the conflict. :: Tel Aviv, Israel It comes after more than a week of aerial combat between the two, with death and injuries in both countries. "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump: "History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons." While an Iranian official cited by Tasnim news agency confirmed that one of the nuclear sites was attacked by 'enemy aistrikes'. :: June 13, 2025 :: Tehran, Iran Israel launched attacks on Iran earlier this month, saying it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities have been unsuccessful. CBS news reported that the US reached out diplomatically to Iran on Saturday... ...to say the strikes are all the U.S. plans and that it does not aim for regime change.
Hamilton Spectator
32 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel's war with Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Addressing the nation from the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated.' There was no independent damage assessment. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped. Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations. It was not clear whether the U.S. would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days. Trump acted without congressional authorization , and he warned that there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against U.S. forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned in a post on X that the U.S. attacks 'will have everlasting consequences' and that Tehran 'reserves all options' to retaliate. Hours later, Iranian missiles struck areas in northern and central Israel, according to an Israeli rescue service. United Hatzalah said it was dispatching first responders, but here was no immediate word on casualties or damage. The US helped Israel strike Iran's toughest nuclear site Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have claimed that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the U.S. in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker-buster bomb that only they have been configured to carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Trump said in a post on social media, using common alternate spellings for two of the sites. 'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.' Trump added in a later post: 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the U.S. attacks. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. U.S. military leaders are scheduled to provide a briefing at 8 a.m. Eastern. The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain, a U.S. official said. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. In addition, U.S. submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another U.S. official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. The International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X that there has been 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after the strikes. 'The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,' it said. The 'IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.' Trump's turn to strikes departs from some previous statements The strikes are a perilous decision for Trump, who won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. And he twice — in April and again in late May — persuaded Netanyahu to hold off on military action against Iran and give diplomacy more time. After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a 'second chance' for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender. He has bristled at criticism from some of his MAGA faithful who have suggested that further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision to attack in a video message directed at the American president. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,' he said. Netanyahu said the U.S. 'has done what no other country on earth could do.' The military showdown with Iran comes seven years after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-administration brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the 'worst deal ever.' Fears of a broader war U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the 'dangerous escalation' of American strikes. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region and the world,' he said in a statement. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the U.S. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them.' And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared 'any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.' The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the U.S. attack that American military involvement 'would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel. Trump's decision for direct U.S. military intervention comes after his administration made an unsuccessful two-month push — including with high-level, direct negotiations with the Iranians — aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear program. ___ Madhani reported from Morristown, N.J. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Iran, Lolita Baldor in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Samy Magdy in Cairo, contributed to this story. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
