2024-08-26 05:54:28
Iran, under international sanctions and isolation, continues to seek to increase its influence in the region. In an effort to compensate for its military weaknesses, Tehran has been aggressively developing low-cost missiles and drones. These efforts are aimed at maintaining Iran’s capabilities in the face of limited air defense, allowing it to remain a threat to Israel despite its inadequate protection of its own airspace.
Iran’s military air force is an archaic arsenal, much of which was purchased in the 1970s, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a fact highlighted by a report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency. Due to its outdated technology and the inability to fully modernize, Iran has been forced to focus on asymmetric tactics, including the use of drones and missiles, which can be effective in carrying out strikes but are insufficient to provide reliable protection of the country’s airspace.
Benoit Faucon, Middle East correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, notes that these asymmetric tactics are the main way Iran tries to compensate for its limited military power. Instead of relying on classic defenses like advanced fighter jets or anti-aircraft systems, Tehran is betting on relatively cheap but effective weapons that can threaten enemies at a considerable distance.
Military analyst Douglas Barry of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London believes that the situation is exacerbated by Iran’s geographic size. Barry points out that the country’s vast territory makes it impossible to fully defend all potential targets, even if Iran had more sophisticated air defenses. In his view, this factor also forces Iran to look for alternative methods of defense and attack, which explains the significant attention paid to the development of drones and missile systems.
Thus, the state of Iran’s military aviation and air defense remains a serious problem for Tehran. Under sanctions and without access to modern technologies, Iran is forced to seek asymmetric solutions that, although not able to fully compensate for its weaknesses, still allow it to maintain a certain level of threat to its adversaries.
Earlier, Cursor reported that Iran had decided to strike Israel.
In the immediate aftermath of Haniyeh’s liquidation, Iran promised devastating retribution.