Dozens of fighters of the Israeli Air Force flew over the Mediterranean Sea in the evening of May 31, imitating missile attacks on Iran nuclear facilities. According to the Israeli Defense Army, “distant flights, refueling and defeat of goals” were worked out on the exercises.
The flights were part of the large -scale exercises “Fiery chariots”, in which all units of the Israeli army participated, are designed to work out a new military plan for applying air strikes on Iran nuclear facilities.
At the beginning of last year, the chief of the General Staff Aviv Kohavi announced that he instructed the military to begin the development of new plans for the attack on Iran, and by September 2021 the head of the General Staff emphasized that the army “significantly accelerated” preparations for actions against Tehran’s nuclear program.
Nevertheless, representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Defense believe that although some aspects of the Air Force shock plans that are still at an early stage may be prepared for a short period of time, other units and groups will take more than a year
The Israeli Air Force is faced with the task of finding ways to strike at Iranian objects that are deep underground, which requires special tactics and special ammunition. In addition, you will have to deal with an increasingly complex Iranian air defense system. Israel will also have to prepare for the expected retribution by Iran and its allies throughout the region.
According to the Israeli Defense Army, the teachings in Cyprus imitated the evacuation of wounded military personnel with helicopters and the casting of goods, including heavy equipment, on the battlefield. The ground part of the exercises, which will last until June 3, passes on the border with Lebanon and Palestinian autonomy. It is noted that we are talking about the largest military exercises over the past decade.
Maya Karlin, Israeli military analyst and editor of the department of military issues, believes that the most serious obstacle to Israeli military operations against Iran’s nuclear facilities is the distance between countries that leaves 1600 kilometers. At the same time, F-35 fighters and medium-range ballistic missiles retain Israel’s capabilities effectively hit the targets in Iran.
according to the expert’s opinion, if Israel strikes Iran, the uranium object in Natanze will be his first goal. This complex with an area of more than 50 thousand square meters, dug at a depth of seven meters underground, is covered with several layers of metal and concrete. It is impossible to destroy this object with ordinary missiles of the Air-Earth class, and therefore Israeli aviation should be armed with heavy anti-Bunker bombs. Heavier ammunition means that planes use more fuel, which leads to a reduction in flight range.
Therefore, refueling aircraft in the air is one of the important elements worked out on the current exercises.