Israel and Iran attacks in 2024 versus now
Al Jazeera correspondent Dorsa Jabbari explained that the scope and scale of today’s attack by Israel is much greater than two tit-for-tat attacks last year.
- In April 2024, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel after Israel bombed its embassy in Damascus.
- This was followed by a second round of missiles in October 2024, just days after Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan.
- Israel responded both times by striking Iranian military facilities and key infrastructure.
- Jabbari said the 2024 military exchanges between Israel and Iran broke an “important psychological barrier” as the first of their kind since 1979.
- The latest round of attacks has pushed the barrier further because they did not come with warnings like on previous occasions.
- “This was completely by surprise. And the scale of this attack is much larger and broader. We’re seeing multiple locations – Tabriz, Tehran, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Natanz – under attack. The scale of it, the scope of it, is certainly much larger, and it is continuing. It’s not a one-off. This is not a strategic in-and-out kind of attack, they are continuing as we speak, and we have no idea when they will end,” Jabbari said.
Israeli strikes on Iran echo campaign against Hezbollah
Wave after wave of air strikes, killing of top military and political officials and targeting of military assets – for those who watched the Israeli assault against Hezbollah last year, the strikes on Iran seem familiar.
While Israel framed its attacks as “preemptive”, suggesting that they are defensive, the scale and intensity of the strikes suggest that the Netanyahu government is launching a decapitation campaign of sorts against the Iranian regime.
While the shock and awe strategy appears to have worked against Hezbollah, leaving the group weakened and committed to a de facto unilateral ceasefire as Israel continues its daily attacks in Lebanon, it is unclear how it will unfold with Iran.
Iran is a nation of 90 million people with a multifaceted defence establishment. So Tehran has a greater ability to withstand painful attacks than its allies in Lebanon, which could allow Iran to prolong the conflict and push to win by exhausting Israel.
To use a boxing analogy, Israel appears to have won by a knockout against Hezbollah; Iran will be looking to win by points.
Watchdog says no increase in radiation levels at Natanz nuclear site
As we have been reporting, Israeli fighter jets reportedly bombed the Natanz nuclear site during its blitz in the early hours of Friday morning, striking locations across Iran.
Citing information provided by Iranian authorities, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said there is currently no increase in radiation levels at Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment site.
The IAEA added that the Bushehr nuclear power plant was not targeted during the attack.
