Unknown Air Defense System Over Iran May be an F-35 Killer: Top British Diplomat

Unknown air defense system may have been Russian-made and prevented Israel from flying its jets over Iran, according to Alastair Crooke

Israelis were forced to adjust its approach to striking Iran on Saturday after discovering that Tehran benefited from a mystery air defense system that made any military flights over the country — even with the stealth F-35s — too risky for IDF piolets, Alastair Crooke told Judge Andrew Napolitano’s “Judging Freedom” podcast.

Crooke cited Israeli sources who said they discovered what appeared to be an “unknown air defense system over Tehran.”

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He noted that the apparent revelation meant Israel could not go through with its three-phased plan that included conventional and stealth bombers over Iran; these jets were forced to fire from the safe confines of Iraqi airspace. He said it is possible that the air defense system used in Iran was Russian-made, and could detect stealth fighters — “like the F-35s.”

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These air-defense missiles may have had radar capacities inside their warheads that could “identify a stealth fighter.”

“If you had a missile with a radar capacity in its warhead and it’s able to identify a stealth fighter, then the whole idea of an attack on Iran seems to collapse,” he said. “It would be too dangerous” because the airspace was dominated by this mystery system that threatened the stealth fighters.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a politician from the Jewish Power party and Israel’s National Security Minister, said the Saturday attack on Iranian positions was “important as an opening blow,” but must be followed up because of a “historical obligation to remove the Iranian threat to destroy Israel.”

Ben-Gvir’s comment was not surprising given that Yair Lapid, the head of the opposition party, also called the strikes too limited. 

Benny Gantz, a former war cabinet member who was seen by Washington as an Israeli moderate, also praised the strike on Iran and spoke about future exchanges. 

“It marks a new stage in our war against the Iranian regime, inflicting significant damage in response to their failed attempts to harm Israel while also importantly paving the way for future operations,” he said, according to Al Arabiya.

The report noted that Iran should be aware that the strike Israel inflicted is “nothing more than a fraction of the harm Israel can inflict on the regime, should it choose to continue its aggression.”