Reports have emerged that Israel has expanded its operations against Iranian targets to
Iraq.
Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35I stealth fighters have struck Iranian targets in Iraq twice
in recent days.
According to The Times of Israel, IAF fighter jets have destroyed Iranian missile shipments
in Iraq.
It is well known that Israel frequently strikes Iranian missile packages meant for Lebanese
terror group Hezbollah in Syria, but strikes in Iraq is rare.
As per analysts, the last time Israel did something like this was in 1981 when it bombed
a nuclear reactor, which is referred to as Operation Opera.
In this video Defense Updates reports on Israel’s F35I demolishing Iranian missiles shipments
in Iraq.
Let’s get started.
This video is sponsored by War Thunder.
If you are, like us, fascinated by military vehicles and technology, I recommend you give
War Thunder a try.
It's a military vehicle combat game which you can download and play for free on PC,
PlayStation4 and Xbox One - with cross-platform support.
It has a huge variety of more than 1200 playable aircraft, tanks, helicopters and ships from
the 1930s to the 1990s, which you can take to battle on land, in the air and at sea on
more than 80 theaters of war.
War Thunder has been kind enough to offer all Defense Updates viewers a special bonus,
which will grant you a free premium tank or aircraft and three days of premium account
time for registering using our link in the description below.
So, take the plunge and join the more than 20 million players from all over the world!
Israel & Iran has been outright rivals.
The Times of Israel reported that on Jul. 9, 2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
warned Iran that Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35I fighter jets can reach “anywhere in the
Middle East,”
This came after senior Iranian officials had threatened Israel.
Mojtaba Zolnour, chairman of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission,
as stated by the Mehr news agency on July 1 had said, “If the US attacks us, only
half an hour will remain of Israel’s lifespan"
Netanyahu said, standing in front of an F-35 Adir jet during a visit to the Nevatim Air
Base, “Lately, Iran has been threatening Israel
with destruction.
It should remember that these planes can reach every place in the Middle East, including
Iran, and of course also Syria.”
IAF Chief Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin had said last year said Israel had used F 35I in operations
in the Middle East although he didn’t provide details.
This made Israel the first country in the world to carry out an “operational attack”
using the F-35.
It is interesting to note that there are some reports that Islamic Republic of Iran Air
Force (IRIAF) commander Brigadier General Farzad Ismaili has been fired by Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he kept secret that IAF F-35 stealth fighters
had violated Iran’s airspace in March 2018.
Viewers may note that although F-35I can’t reach Iran on its own, it can do it with air
refueling and IAF does possess that capability.
Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic-language newspaper published in London, reported that its Western
diplomatic sources indicated that an Israeli F-35I Adir fighter jet conducted a strike
on Jul. 19, 2019.
The target was a rocket depot in Baghdad.
The other strike was against Camp Ashraf on July 28 which is located 40 km or 25 miles
northeast of Baghdad and is 80 km or 50 miles from the Iranian border.
As per the news network, Hatzerim base had received Iranian ballistic missiles, which
had been hidden inside trucks shortly before the strike.
Israel does not generally comment on specific reports of strikes and these were no different.
It is important to note that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time, Israeli
missiles targeted “military positions and intelligence facilities belonging to Iran
and [pro-Iranian] militias”.
Keeping all the aspect in view, there is no reason to doubt the credibility of the report.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation single-seat, single-engine,
all-weather multirole fighters.
The Pentagon began the F 35 program in 2001 intending to develop a cost-effective replacement
for U.S military’s F 15 fighters, F 16 and F 18 bombers and reconnaissance aircraft and
A10 close air support warplanes.
Apart from the United States, the primary customer, and financial backer, several other
nations are also part of the program.
Israel is the first country outside the U.S to acquire them.
It has already got deliveries of several F 35s and has plans to acquire around 75 of
these.
The acquired jets are operated by the IAF’s Golden Eagle Squadron which is based in the
Nevatim Air Base.
The F 35 deal is criticized by many inside Israel since the cost is more than the price
at which U.S. Air Force is acquiring the jets.
This is mainly due to the fact that Israel’s F 35s named F 35I Adir (meaning ‘Mighty')
are customized as per the requirements of Israel Air Force and contains several indigenous
components.
Israel has maintained that the Lockheed Martin F-35 is a “game-changer”.
Israel’s former Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman had stated that “The F-35 squadrons
are the pinnacle of technology, and will assist the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and air force
in meeting the many security challenges Israel faces head-on.
They are a central aspect in protecting the safety of the people of Israel along the country’s
borders and even away from them.”
F 35 is developed to be stealthy which gives it the ability to penetrate deep inside enemy
territories even if they are well defended.
Its external structure is designed to deflect radar signal away from the emitting radars.
Also, it has a coating of RAM (Radar Absorbing Material) that reduces the number of signals
getting reflected.
F 35 does have certain compromises when compared to F 22 Raptor.
Notably, F 35’s airframe is not as stealthy as found in the F 22
• Against x-band radars, it is only stealthy from front and rear
• Against S-band radar, it is stealthy from the narrow front aspect
• Against L-band radar, the limited reduction is achieved from direct front
It has a much greater reliance on radar-absorbing materials to maintain its stealth profile.
But even with these shortcomings, F 35 is a still a very Low Observable (LO) platform.
It is to be noted that detection an aircraft only will not enable a shoot down, continuous
tracking is needed for targeting a jet with Surface to Air missiles and Air to Air missiles.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly last September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
had stated “Israel will do whatever it must do to defend itself against Iran’s aggression.
We will continue to act against you in Syria.
We will act against you in Lebanon.
We will act against you in Iraq.
We will act against you whenever and wherever we must act to defend our state and defend
our people.”
The strikes indicate that Israel will do as stated by Mr. Netanyahu and it also demonstrates
that F35 can hit targets at will which is positive for the F 35 program.
Many claims have been made by Russia & China that they have radars that can detect stealthy
jets, the reality seems to be different.
The fighter seems to be able to do what it was intended for - 'hit & return' without
the enemy knowing it was even there.
On a larger context, F-35 Lightning II now seems to be well on track to give America
& its allies a definite edge
The first Joint Strike Fighters were declared combat-capable in July 2018.
The prices of all three variants—the F-35A for the Air Force, F-35B for the Marines,
and F-35C for the Navy have dropped below $100 million per fighter.
In a recent deal in which U.S Air Force will acquire 450 of these jets, the prices have
actually reduced to around $80 million per F 35A.
F 35 program was aimed at reducing cost and seems to be delivering on this aspect too.
The turnaround is happening even as Russia & China are faltering with their own 5th generation jets.