Operation True Promise II: Review On Iran’s Missile Attack On Israeli Regime

On Tuesday (October 1) at 8:00 p.m. local time, the Iranian Armed Forces attacked military positions of the Tel Aviv regime in various regions of occupied Palestine, when they fired dozens of ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The following is an assessment of the attack and an analysis of the areas targeted in the operation.

Moments after the Iranian missiles were fired at 8:00 p.m., Spokesman for the Israeli army Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari claimed that our defense systems are fully operational and are detecting and intercepting threats wherever necessary, even at this moment.” Shortly after this claim, numerous videos were released showing Iranian missiles hitting Israeli positions, indicating a high success rate for the Iran-fired missiles. The large number of projectiles hitting the Israeli targets proved that the defense systems of the Israeli military, as well as those of the United States, failed to intercept the Iranian missiles.

Operation True Promise I: Which Israeli positions were targeted in Iran’s retaliatory attack?

According to the initial statement from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Operation True Promise II was carried out in response to the assassination of Palestine’s Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, Lebanon’s Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the senior advisor of the IRGC in Lebanon Major General Abbas Nilforushan. Significant military and security positions in the heart of the Israeli-occupied territories were targeted during the operation. The IRGC considered Iran’s military response to be in line with the Islamic Republic’s legal rights as well as international law, warning the Zionists that if they try to react to this retaliatory operation, they would face more devastating and crushing strikes.

As more time passed following the missile attack, the spokesman for the Israeli army again claimed, “the IRGC used the Fattah hypersonic missiles for the first time in tonight’s attack. We will respond to this attack at the right time and place.”

Read: Military Knowledge: Fattah Hypersonic Ballistic Missile

According to the second statement from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, several air and radar bases, as well as centers that had been involved in hatching the plot of assassinating resistance leaders, were targeted during the aforementioned operation. Despite the fact that these areas are being protected by the most advanced and extensive defense systems, most of the Iranian missiles successfully hit their targets.

Israeli media outlets reported that Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles toward the occupied territories of Palestine. Some Western sources estimated the number of projectiles to be between 200 and 250. Nevertheless, the official figure was declared by chief commander of the IRGC Major General Hossein Salami, who stated that 200 missiles were launched toward the occupied territories.

It is worth noting that the missiles were launched from several locations across the Islamic country, including Tehran and its suburbs as well as other cities such as Kermanshah, Shiraz, Khorramabad, Tabriz, and Isfahan.

According to the released footages, most of the fired projectiles reached their targets, which indicates a very high success rate for the Iranian armed forces.

One notable aspect of Operation True Promise II was the execution of targeted cyber operations and extensive electronic warfare by the use of jamming systems against the Israeli regime with the aim of disrupting its defense systems. Advisor to the IRGC commander General Ebrahim Jabari announced that a broad cyber operation was carried out simultaneously with the missile operation against Israel’s defense systems.

Hours after the strike, the Islamic Revolution Guads Corps released images of several missiles used in Operation True Promise II. The released images showcased ballistic missiles such as Emad, Khaybar Shekan, Qadr-H and Qadr-F with upgraded warheads. Furthermore, analysis of videos released by the Israeli settlers indicated that the IRGC also utilized advanced hypersonic Fattah missiles in this operation.

Additionally, based on images released by Israeli settlers, the booster of the Fattah-1 missile was seen in the occupied territories. These images confirmed the claims of using hypersonic missiles.

On the other hand, the Israeli regime attempted to intercept the Iran-fired missiles using Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile systems, while the United States fired at least 12 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) anti-ballistic missiles from the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole. The number of successful interceptions remains unclear. An ambiguous footage of the interception of the Iranian missiles was also released, but it appears to be old and cannot be verified.

The targets hit in Operation Promise II are as follows:

1-Mossad Headquarters:
The Mossad headquarters is located near the Glilot base in northern Tel Aviv city. This base is also the main site for the Unit 8200 or the Central Collection Unit of the Intelligence Corps (AMAN). Visual evidence show that the Mossad headquarters was targeted by two projectiles. Although these two missiles, for whatever reason (likely intentionally to warn Mossad), struck approximately 500 meters apart – one to the north and the other to the south of the building. However, this attack sends a clear message to the Israeli regime: Iran’s reach extends to the main intelligence hub of Israel, and if it makes a decision, it can target that site with a barrage of missiles; and there may not be any mistake next time.

In addition, three other missiles struck several kilometers into the sea. One of these missiles hit the western area of the Mossad headquarters in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in a fire in the water! Clearly, a specific target was struck in the strike.

Two other missiles hit another point a few kilometers off the coast of Tel Aviv with an extraordinary accuracy. The precise impact of these two missiles on a specific point in the sea cannot be by chance. The nature of this target is still unclear.

2-Tel Nof Airbase in Southern Tel Aviv:
Apart from one video that clearly captured the missile strikes, no other videos have been released from this base so far. In the released video from this military base, several missiles hit the Tel Nof airbase. In one of the strikes, flames and white smoke rose from the targeted site, indicating that solid-fuel air defense systems, such as the Arrow missile defense system, were targeted.

To date, no high-quality or even low-quality images of the Tel Nof Airbase have been released, and perhaps they never will be. The damages at Tel Nof were also quite remarkable!

It is also noteworthy that during the attack on Tel Nof base, one missile struck several kilometers south of this base, hitting the courtyard of an elementary religious school (Shalhavot Chabad) in Gedera, causing damage to the school building! This school is affiliated with the Haredi movement, a branch of Orthodox Jews in Israel.

3-Nevatim Airbase:
Most of the attacks and recorded videos are related to the Nevatim Airbase. According to the videos, the Nevatim base has been targeted by a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, and it likely suffered the most damage from Iran’s missile attacks on Israel.

Satellite images released after the attack on Nevatim base also indicate the damage inflicted on the base.

The satellite images indicate that the location of the F-35 fighter jets at Nevatim was hit. One of the missiles struck one of the F-35 shelters with high precision. Additionally, a large hangar, administrative buildings, and other points within the airbase were also hit. The targeted areas show that it can be said that several types of missiles were used in the attack on Nevatim base, and the missiles that hit their targets with high accuracy were likely of the Khyber-Shekan or Fattah class.

4. Hatzerim Airbase:
Another target of Iran’s missile attack was the Hatzerim Airbase near the city of Be’er Sheva. Reports confirm Iran’s attack on this base. According to Israeli media outlets, the city of Be’er Sheva sustained minor damages during the Iranian missile attack. This may have occurred due to the fall of missile boosters on Be’er Sheva.

Furthermore, a video footage from inside the Gaza Strip has been released, confirming at least one projectile hitting the Hatezrim Airbase.

5. Ovda Airbase:
Among the areas in the occupied territories targeted by Iran’s missile attacks, less attention has been given to the Ovda Airbase. However, considering the rate of missiles fired at this base and the very precise hits, it could be said that the most successful attack on Israeli military bases was on the Ovda Airbase.

Based on the low-quality satellite images available, it can be observed that seven missiles struck this base, and nearly all of them hit their targets with remarkable precision.

If higher-quality satellite images are released, it may be possible to identify several other targeted sites. The main reason that no videos of the missile craters at this base have been released is that the Ovda Airbase is located kilometers deep in the desert, and unlike other bases, there are no nearby villages or towns where someone could film the moments of the attack. However, these satellite images are still valuable.

The Ovda Airbase is located in the southernmost part of the occupied territories, in the southern Negev Desert, 40 kilometers north of the port city Eilat.

This airbase houses Israel’s Squadron 115, which includes F-16C fighters (now retired) and F-16D Barak fighter jets. Additionally, the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy and the Air Force Officer School are part of the training programs for Air Force officers, which are operational at this airbase.

Another important point is that the Ovda Airbase is officially the only air base authorized for the transportation of explosive materials for the Israeli regime. Therefore, this base is used for the export of military equipment and munitions to other countries.

Overall, the missile Operation True Promise II marks a turning point in the developments in the West Asian region. This operation goes beyond being merely a “long whip” against the enemy; it not only inflicted heavy damage on the military bases of the Israeli army but also caused the collapse of the Israelis’ defensive structure, undermining their claims of being invulnerable.

The assassination of commanders and leaders of Islamic resistance groups, especially Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Ismail Haniyeh, was an unforgivable sin, and a failure to respond to it would undermine Iran’s establishment and reputation within the resistance axis.

Iran’s missile strikes also serve as a strong response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats; he should know that Iran is not defenseless, when it comes to his threats against the Iranian nuclear and oil facilities. In fact, Iran possesses greater, heavier, and faster capabilities, and certainly, Israel, with all its defensive and aerial resources, will be defeated in this competition in the face of Iran.