Israel Bracing For Iran To Possibly Strike From Their Own Territory
In response to their recent exchange of naval attacks, which reached its height on Tuesday with a strike on an Iranian spy ship in the Red Sea, Israel is readying for a potential assault on its own assets inside Israel from Iran’s territory reports Israel Hayom.
The Saviz ship which featured an Iranian flag was hit with water mines attached to its hull on Wednesday. Israel did not claim responsibility for the attack, however, foreign media outlets are reporting that the IDF’s Shayetet 13 naval commandos executed the hit, which was the most recent in a slew of operations against Iran’s targets that the amphibious unit has executed the past two years.
It seems that, unlike previous incidents, whereby Israel Intercepted illicit oil or weapons smuggling, this time the operation’s objective was to let the Iranians realize that their recent attacks on ships that are owned by private Israeli businessmen are off-limits.
Despite the fact that the targeted vessel was operating under a civilian guise, it was indeed a spy ship permanently stationed near Eritrea to gather intelligence on ship movements in the Red Sea. Yoav Limor Israel Hayom’s defense reporter who exposed this development opines that “it’s safe to assume Iran will not let this attack go unanswered.”
He sites several options for Iran to retaliate including attacking Israel from Iranian soil. Limor explains that Iran may launch missiles or, “more realistically, deploy armed drones with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).” Unlike conventional missiles, the drones fly at a slow pace and close to the ground. They are extremely difficult for Israel’s air force to detect and intercept.
As reported, the exchange of attacks between Iran and Israel has intensified recently. This includes Israeli airstrikes on Iranian proxy militias in Syria, the Islamic Republic’s ambitions to smuggle precision missile parts into Lebanon, and its widespread maritime activities. many of which took place in recent weeks. It was reported that Shayetet 13 has executed dozens of sabotage missions against illicit oil shipments from Iran to Syria. The profits from the oil sales were used partially to fund Hezbollah and other terrorist proxies. According to assessments, these sabotage missions cost Tehran over $2 billion.
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