Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told the country’s armed forces to “learn the enemy’s tactics” while praising them for launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, almost all of which failed to reach their targets.
“How many missiles were launched and how many of them hit their target is not the primary question, what really matters is that Iran demonstrated its will-power during that operation,” Khamenei said on Sunday during a meeting with brass from Iran’s various armed forces, according to state media.
Tehran openly targeted Israel for the first time on April 13 with more than 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and armed drones in what it said was retaliation for Israel’s suspected deadly bombing of its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.
The Israel Defense Forces said 99 percent of the incoming munitions were intercepted by air defense systems that operated in cooperation with the US, British, French and Jordanian forces across the region. A handful of missiles that made it through the defensive shield caused only minor damage on an airbase. A young girl from Israel’s Bedouin community was seriously injured by shrapnel from one intercepted missile.
Khamenei thanked the officers for carrying out the attack, saying they had raised Iran’s profile in the international community.
He also urged them to “ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy’s tactics.”
Israel’s retaliatory strike early Friday reportedly destroyed a Russian-made S-300 air defense radar system meant to protect the covert Natanz nuclear site in central Iran.
Tehran has played down the incident, describing it as a failed assault using three “toy” quadcopters. It has said it had no plans for retaliation, a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
An image aired by an Iranian opposition news outlet Sunday appeared to show significant damage to the radar system outside Isfahan.
According to a report in The New York Times, the strike used a high-tech munition able to elude Iran’s air defenses, and had been used to send Tehran a message showing Israel’s capabilities.
Israel has not officially commented on the strike, in line with its strategy of ambiguity regarding actions abroad, meant to give those it attacks maneuverability to avoid pressure to retaliate.
The clash between Israel and Iran came against the background of the ongoing war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip that began with its October 7 cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
The next day, Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking along Israel’s northern border in what has become near-daily rocket attacks on towns and communities in the area.
Israel has responded with strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, and allegedly, related targets in Syria, which is also an ally of Iran and Hezbollah and hosts their forces on its territory.