Israel’s entire three-tier aerial defense array has been put “on alert” amid intelligence assessments of a threat of attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
During a graduation ceremony for Israel’s aerial defense officers held Wednesday night, Air Force commander Major General Amikam Norkin divulged that the country’s advanced anti-rocket and missile systems, including the “Arrow, Patriot, David’s Sling and Iron Dome batteries are on alert,” although he stopped short from disclosing the severity of the perceived-threat.
General Norkin did disclose that “the challenge of air defense has become more complicated,” explaining that “joining the threat of missiles and rockets are now attack-drones and cruise missiles,” which poses an increased-challenge to the aerial defense array of the Jewish State.
It is important to note that the Israeli Air Force Chief’s remarks come just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement alongside U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, in which he disclosed intentions by the Islamic Republic to strike Israel from Yemen by means of precision-guided munitions.
Netanyahu stressed that Iran actively aspires to deploy such weaponry in Iraq and Syria, and to convert an arsenal of 130 thousand statistical rockets to precision guided munitions stockpiled by Tehran’s Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon. In addition, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards have already begun equipping the Iranian-aligned Houthis in Yemen, said the Premier, “with the goal of reaching Israel from there too.”
Following Netanyahu’s statement, a number of Western intelligence sources confirmed to TV7 that “advanced missiles with a 2,500 kilometers range (equal to a little over 1,550 miles), capable of reaching Israel, have been transferred by the IRGC to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.”
Furthermore, an informed source indicated to TV7 that a growing range of precision guided missiles, drones and other types of advanced weaponry forces Israel to expand its reach of pre-emptive operations, in line with its ongoing efforts to thwart Iran’s regional activities to bolster its ability to exact a potentially-devastating blow to the Jewish State.
Such proactive operations are similar to attacks this past July and August against Iranian satellite targets in both Syria and Iraq that have been attributed to Israel, involving the destruction of large quantities of cruise missiles and drones. While the Iranian Foreign Ministry has not immediately responded to TV7’s request for comment, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Major General Hossein Salami, cautioned Iran’s enemies this morning, saying that “in case of the smallest aggression” the IRGC will crush any enemy to the “graveyard of their dreams.” This follows comments last month to the Iranian Tasnim news agency by senior military official Abbas Nilforoushan who boasted that the Islamic Republic has “surrounded (Israel) from East, West, North and South.”
While addressing the Jewish Agency Board of Governors at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the Islamic Republic of Iran. “We are faced with an evil empire,” said Netanyahu, “It is called Iran.”
After stating, “Iran seeks to destroy Israel. It says so openly. It works for this incessantly. Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons,” the Israeli leader accused Tehran of “transgressing on its agreement and commitment [to the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement].” Netanyahu told those gathered that “Iran wants to develop precision-guided missiles that can hit any target in Israel within five to ten meters – it is doing that.”
The Israeli Premier then warned of the “great, great danger” posed by Iran’s intention “to use Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen as bases to attack Israel with statistical missiles and precision-guided missiles.”