New Delhi:
An Israeli attack on Iran targeted military sites today, killing two soldiers, almost a month after Israel vowed to avenge a missile barrage that raised fears of a full-scale Middle East war. The airstrikes hit Iran’s missile manufacturing units.
Here’s your 5-point cheat sheet to this big story
- Today’s Israeli airstrikes on Iran have parallels to a June 1981 airstrike on Iraq, called Operation Opera – simply on the distance covered and the level of risk. NDTV reported last year that Israel would not hesitate to carry out a similar strike on Iran if it found itself cornered.
- Just like today’s airstrikes, which according to The Jerusalem Post involved over 100 aircraft including the US-made stealth fighter jet F-35 flying a roundtrip of 2,000 km, a concern in 1981’s Operation Opera was about selecting the flight path as there were several constraints – a great distance to target (1,100 km), several hostile countries on the way, and limited amount of fuel.
- The Jerusalem Post reported today’s massive air operation likely began with initial waves attacking radar and air defence systems, which set the airspace safe and clear for subsequent strikes on military bases in Iran.
- In Operation Opera, on June 7, 1981 at 4 pm, 14 fighter jets took off from Etzion airport in Israel. At approximately 5.30 pm, they struck and destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, successfully completing their mission with no loss of any Israeli aircraft.
- Israel used F-16As in the strike on Iraq in 1981, with F-15As providing escort. The jets carried a massive amount of fuel in external tanks and flew extremely low for a long distance. However, with improvement in technology – modern versions of F-15 and F-16 are still in service – Israel likely did not have to face the kind of stress it did back in 1981, though the risk would still be high due to a parallel improvement in air defence technology.
