Editor 
The shock from Islamic Iran’s retaliatory strike against zionist Israel is still reverberating globally. The April 13 strike was announced in advance, not a stealth attack like the cowardly zionists and their American masters.
Iran launched a swarm of drones from its own territory toward the zionist entity. What was the purpose of alerting its enemies?
Iran’s Shahed-136, the slow-moving 200 km per hour drone makes a distinctive humming sound. It took about five hours to reach Israeli air space. This was enough time for Israel and its backers—the US, Britain, France and their Jordanian puppets—to scramble their air force planes and activate their air defences.
That is precisely what Iran wanted. The slow-moving drones—price tag $20,000 a piece—were easily shot down by US and Israeli missiles. This is where it gets interesting. To shoot down a $20,000 drone, the US and Israel used missiles costing $1 million each. That is not a very economical way to fight a war. Israeli military personnel have admitted that their missile defence costs were over $1.35 billion.
The cost factor is only a minor part of the broader equation. The more important aspects are that by launching, from its own territory, the Shahed-136 drones and the missiles that followed, Iran signalled that Israel’s days of hit-and-run are over. Henceforth, any zionist aggression against Islamic Iran or its interests in the region will receive a harsh response.
In the past, Iran had shown strategic restraint when its generals were martyred in Syria or Lebanon or its scientists in Tehran. The zionist war criminals and their American backers mistook Iran’s strategic patience with weakness. It was time to disabuse their minds of this misconception. Iran retaliated and did so forcefully.
What was Israel’s crime this time that Iran had to act so harshly? On April 1, Israel struck the Iranian consulate building next to its embassy in Damascus. Diplomatic missions are protected under the Vienna Convention to which the zionist entity is also a signatory. It was a major escalation and against international law; Iran could not let it pass without retaliating.
Diplomatic missions are considered a country’s sovereign territory. Thus, the Israeli missile strike that demolished the consulate building was a direct attack on Iran and a declaration of war.
Further, seven Iranian revolutionary guard commanders staying at the consulate were martyred. They included General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guards forces in Syria and Lebanon, and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. Israel committed a double crime: attacked a protected diplomatic mission, and killed several Iranian commanders. The zionists had to be punished and severely.
We will analyze the reasons behind Israel’s outrageous act, but first let us consider what munitions Iran used in its retaliatory strikes. The slow-moving drones were followed by some 120 cruise missiles and then hypersonic missiles. Israel’s air defence systems consist of the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow missiles. Iran’s cruise missiles can fire multiple dummy missiles—or decoys—that confuse the missiles fired from American or Israeli air defence systems. While they were sent on a wild chase behind decoys, the actual missiles struck their intended targets.
Two air bases in the Negev—the Nevatim air base and the Ramon air base—suffered considerable structural damage despite Israeli officials claiming only “minor damage”. Another surveillance base on the illegally-occupied Golan Heights was also struck and put out of commission.
The Israelis and their western allies also talked up the fact that there were no casualties. Iran had no desire to kill civilians. If it wanted, Tehran could have obliterated Tel Aviv. That, however, was not the purpose of the retaliatory strikes. The real message was that no part of Israel is safe from Iran’s missiles.
Besides, Iran did not use its most advanced missiles in this strike. There are thousands of such missiles in its inventory and if Israel foolishly makes another mistake, there will be a very high price to pay.
What is the significance of Iran’s strike on the Nevatim air base? It was from this base that Israel had launched its US-supplied F-35 planes whose missiles destroyed Iran’s consulate in Damascus. Two messages were delivered. Iran has the capacity to identify the air base from which the airplanes were launched. Second, that Iran has the ability to hit that very base and Israel and its American godfather cannot do anything to defend it.
What did Iran gain from its retaliatory strikes? Plenty. First, it gained immense intelligence about Israeli and American air defence systems. It will be able to determine, through reverse engineering, how long it takes to activate these systems and what are their vulnerabilities.
Second, Iran exposed the regimes that came to Israel’s defence: the US, Britain, France and Jordan. The line-up of countries has proved that zionist Israel is a white settler colonial entity. It does not belong to West Asia. Jordan is a puppet of the US and Israel and it may have signed its own death warrant by joining the western crusaders.
Third, Iran has served notice that the gloves are off. From now on, Tehran will retaliate against any Israeli crimes from its own territory, and do so forcefully. The days of strategic patience and restraint are over.
Fourth, Iran forced the US to expose its position. Washington publicly denied any knowledge of Israel’s criminal attack on the Iranian consulate. After Iran’s retaliation, Joe Biden announced that if Israel were to attack Iran, the US would not be a party of it.
This put paid to Netanyahu’s criminal plan to force the US into attacking Iran. The zionist war criminal has long harboured the ambition to get the US to attack Iran directly. Given America’s experience in the region over the last 20 years, it has learnt its lesson and is not willing to plunge into another war.
Finally, when zionist Israel threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the response from Tehran was swift.
The head of Iran’s Nuclear Protection and Security Corps, General Ahmad Haqtalab warned of “… a tit-for-tat retaliation.” He declared that the zionist “regime’s nuclear facilities will be attacked with advanced weapons.” That message was delivered when Iran attacked the Nevatim air base in the Negev desert not far from where Israel’s nuclear bomb-making factory at Dimona is located.
General Haqtalab also announced that Iran may be forced to revise its nuclear doctrine. So far, Tehran has eschewed any desire to make nuclear weapons. If Israeli officials continue to act as gangsters and outlaws, Tehran may be forced to punch them in their faces knocking their front teeth out.
Zionist Israel, be warned. If you commit another blunder, you will only hasten your demise.
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