Israel's strikes on Iran were years in the making: Analysts
Fire of Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot is seen following the Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, on June 15. PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel's strikes on Iran were years in the making: Analysts
PARIS - Israel's unprecedented strikes on Iran, which have killed top military leaders and nuclear scientists, required years of meticulous intelligence gathering and infiltration, experts say.
Israel said it hit hundreds of targets on June 13 alone, and has since continued its attacks, striking a defence facility and fuel depots on June 15 .
The fiercest-ever exchange of fire between the arch foes came in the midst of ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
'Israel has been following the nuclear programme for 15 years,' Israeli analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP.
'The strikes we see are the result of years of intelligence gathering and infiltration of the Islamic republic.'
Israel has previously carried out more limited attacks against Iranian military sites, including in October 2024.
'It seems that this week's operation had been in preparation for months, with an acceleration after the operation last year significantly weakened Iranian air defences,' Mr Horowitz said.
The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon.
Tehran denies that, but has gradually broken away from its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers, which the United States withdrew from during President Donald Trump's first term.
The landmark accord had provided Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme.
'Impressive' precision
Israel is long believed to have carried out sabotage operations inside Iran through its Mossad espionage agency, but the attacks that started on June 13 are by far the broadest in scope.
The campaign has shown Israel to be capable of precisely locating and taking out high-ranking Iranian officials and nuclear scientists.
A European security source said the strikes showed 'an impressive degree of precision and mastery'.
Israel says it has killed 20 military and security targets, including the armed forces' chief of staff and the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as well as nine nuclear scientists.
Mr Danny Citrinowicz, of the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said the ability to take out high-ranking officials showed 'intelligence, but also operational superiority of Israel over Iran'.
'It's highly connected to the ability to collect information, intelligence in Iran for years, excellent intelligence that actually allows you to detect where they're living, the seniors, also the nuclear scientists,' he told AFP.
The latest targeted strikes come after Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in a Tehran guesthouse in July 2024 .
Haniyeh had been in town for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and was reportedly killed by an explosive device that Israeli operatives had placed in the guesthouse weeks before.
Analysts at the time saw the attack as a major intelligence failure by Iran.
But 'still Iran didn't learn and didn't have the ability to lock the holes in their system', said Mr Citrinowicz.
Smuggled drone
News site Axios reported that Mossad agents inside Iran helped prepare the J une 13 strikes, pre-positioning weapon systems near air defence targets, including by hiding them inside vehicles, and launching them when the attack started.
An Israeli intelligence official told Axios that Mossad had 'established an attack drone base inside Iran with drones that were smuggled in long before the operation'.
A former Israeli intelligence official told The Atlantic that 'Iranians opposed to the regime make for a ready recruiting pool', and that 'Iranians working for Israel were involved in efforts to build a drone base inside the country'.
Mr Alain Chouet, the former number three in the French intelligence, said he was convinced Israel had 'half a dozen cells capable of acting at any moment' inside Iran.
Iran regularly executes people it accuses of spying for Israel.
It is unclear what role, if any, Israel's key military and diplomatic ally the United States had in the latest strikes.
Before the attack early on June 13 , Mr Trump publicly urged Israel to allow time for diplomacy, as a sixth round of US-Iranian nuclear talks were set to be held in Oman at the weekend.
The US president on June 15 said Washington 'had nothing to do' with ally Israel's campaign.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on June 15 said Tehran had 'solid proof of the support of the American forces and American bases in the region' for the attacks.
And Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 14 his country was acting with 'the clear support of the president of the United States'. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
29 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
US police arrest suspect Vance Boelter for Minnesota lawmakers' shooting, World News
MINNEAPOLIS — A massive two-day manhunt ended on Sunday (June 15) with the arrest of Vance Boelter, 57, for allegedly killing a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband while posing as a police officer, Governor Tim Walz said. Boelter allegedly shot dead Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, in their home on Saturday — a crime Governor Tim Walz characterised as a "politically motivated assassination." Authorities said Boelter also allegedly shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away. "After a two-day manhunt, two sleepless nights, law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter," Walz told a news conference. "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. "A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country, and each and every one of us can do it." Walz said Hoffman, who had been hit with nine bullets, came out of his final surgery and was moving towards recovery. Boelter has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters. Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, the criminal complaint showed. Three of those charges are punishable with jail terms of up to 40 years, according to the complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter had been impersonating a police officer while carrying out the shootings, wearing an officer's uniform and driving a Ford SUV with police-style lights, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Hortman's Brooklyn Park home, said authorities who had warned residents to stay indoors for their own safety and unleashed the state's biggest manhunt. When police searched Boelter's SUV after the shootings they discovered three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9-mm handgun, and a list of other public officials including their addresses, the criminal complaint showed. Working on a tip that Boelter was near his home in the city of Green Isle, more than 20 SWAT teams combed the area, aided by surveillance aircraft, officials said. Boelter was armed but surrendered with no shots fired. "The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest," Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol told the briefing. "The suspect was taken into custody without any use of force." The operation to capture Boelter, drawing on the work of hundreds of detectives and a wide range of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, was the largest manhunt in state history, Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley said. "Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is," Bruley said. The killing was the latest episode of high-profile US political violence. Such incidents range from a 2022 attack on former Democratic US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their home, to an assassination bid on Donald Trump last year, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house in April. [[nid:719113]]
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year
South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year SEOUL - South Korea's government will introduce a second supplementary budget for the year on Thursday, after passing a 13.8 trillion won ($10.13 billion) budget in May, to support an economy weighed down by U.S. tariffs and sluggish consumer demand. The budget plan will include spending to help the recovery of people's livelihoods and will be taken up at a cabinet meeting, a spokesperson at the presidential office said on Monday. President Lee Jae-myung, who took office on June 4, has argued for expansionary fiscal policy and cash-like handout schemes to boost consumer demand, as the country's central bank last month slashed this year's economic growth outlook to 0.8%, nearly half the previous 1.5%. Among specific measures, spending to ease the burden of rising food prices will be included in the plan, Acting Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il said at a separate meeting on inflation. At the meeting, the government decided to extend tax breaks on oil products by two months to the end of August, in response to a surge in oil prices amid heightened geopolitical tension in the Middle East. Financial support and import quota increases were introduced to stabilise rising food prices, which President Lee Jae-myung said were causing "too much pain", while tax cuts on car purchases were extended until the end of the year to support the auto industry. South Korea's consumer inflation weakened to a five-month low of 1.9% in May, below the central bank's medium-term target of 2% and market expectations, as petroleum prices dropped 2.3% from a year earlier, but prices of processed food products jumped 4.1% and dining services rose 3.2%. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
3 people, including infant, killed in carnival shooting near Salt Lake City
UTAH - Three people, including an eight-month-old infant, were shot and killed, and two teenagers were wounded following an altercation between two groups at an annual carnival in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, on the night of June 15 , police said. A 41-year-old female bystander was among those killed, while an 18-year-old man in one of the groups involved in the altercation was also killed in the shooting that took place during 'Westfest' at Centennial Park, West Valley City, according to the police department. The West Valley City Police Department said that as police had approached to break up an argument between the two groups a 16-year-old male in one of them had pulled out a gun and opened fire at the other group. The police returned fire, but did not hit the suspect, they said, adding the suspect had been taken into custody. The wounded teenagers, a male and a female, were both hit in their arms, but it was not clear if they were connected to the groups involved, the police added. So far in 2025, there have been 156 mass shootings in the United States, defined as incidents where four or more people were shot or killed, excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
