The Middle East is tense as Israel is considering a retaliatory attack on Iran. If the attack occurs, Israel’s F-15I and F-35I fighters are expected to play the main role.
Israel is about to “put its hand on the button”?
Former US Defense Secretary William Cohen said the Israeli military could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities or other Iranian military targets within the next 48 hours. Israeli and Iranian officials have yet to respond to this information.
If Mr. Cohen’s assessment is correct, perhaps Israel wants to eliminate Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons once and for all, just as it did with Iraq.
With these signs of heat, the entire Middle East is in a state of extreme tension. It is reported that many countries in the Middle East have restricted flights over their own airspace, in preparation for war between Israel and Iran.
Iran’s air defense missile force has entered a state of full combat readiness, its fighter jets have been refueled and equipped with missiles in preparation for taking off to conduct patrols in the western region.
Iranian warships have begun to leave port, even large oil tankers have evacuated from the most important oil hub on Kharg Island.
General Michael Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), has arrived at the Israeli command center to meet with military officials of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). General Kurilla said that the US will support the IDF in responding to Iranian ballistic missile attacks. However, it is likely that the US and Israel are planning to attack Iran together.
Several KC-135 tankers, C-5M Super Galaxy heavy military transport aircraft and C-17 Globemaster III of the US military have been deployed to the Persian Gulf region and can refuel Israeli F-35 and F-15I stealth fighters.
It is predicted that if there is an Israeli attack on Iran, Israel’s F-15I and F-35I fighters will act as the main force.
What Iranian targets could be attacked?
First of all, Israel does not have enough aerial refueling aircraft to carry out large-scale attacks on Iranian territory, so it has to ask for US support, according to the British Financial Times.
Second, Tel Aviv would likely not be able to attack Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, as the concrete-piercing bombs equipped on Israeli aircraft cannot penetrate Iran’s mountain and underground bases.
Only the US Air Force’s B-52, B-1B or B-2 bombers, carrying 13-ton GBU-57A ground-penetrating bombs – the largest in the world – can destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Therefore, the Israeli Air Force is more likely to attack Iran’s air defense missile sites and energy systems. In particular, attacking Iran’s energy system, especially the oil and gas industry, will weaken Iran’s energy exports.
On the other hand, the attack will be easier, the attack effect will be better, and the explosion scene will be large, which can form a certain deterrent effect.
The world has seen that simple UAVs like Ukraine’s can attack Russian oil refineries, and Israel’s F-35 stealth fighter is also capable of attacking Iranian energy facilities.
The British newspaper Guardian reported that the IDF is preparing to carry out a retaliatory attack on Iran on the occasion of the first anniversary of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation that Hamas armed forces launched into Israeli territory on October 7 last year.
Israel has always believed that Iran is behind the armed forces of Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi. Therefore, on this “special day”, Israel will carry out fierce retaliatory attacks against Iran.
“The sword is about to be drawn”?
The situation in the Middle East is currently “tense as a bowstring”, Israel, with the support of the US and some Western countries, is struggling to cope on seven fronts, including Iran and armed groups backed by Tehran in the Middle East.
On September 29, the IDF struck Houthi positions in Yemen, in response to the group’s recent rocket attacks on Israeli territory. In parallel, the IDF continued to attack Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On October 1, the Israeli army launched a direct attack on Lebanese territory. Fierce fighting broke out between Hezbollah armed forces and the Israeli army, causing heavy losses on both sides.
On the night of October 1 and early morning of October 2, Iran unexpectedly launched 200 missiles at many Israeli targets. The IDF announced that it successfully intercepted many of the missiles. All of these actions have thrown the Middle East into chaos.
The war situation shows that the scope and fronts that Israel has to deal with are very wide. Each front is different, but Tel Aviv seems to be aiming for a military solution to solve the problem.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tel Aviv is under threat from seven areas, including Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Tehran is supporting armed groups in those areas, forming an “axis of resistance” to counter the influence of Israel and the United States in the Middle East.
Perhaps the “resistance axis” with Iran as its core has discovered Israel’s weakness, which is that the country is small in area and has a small population, making it unable to conduct a long-term war of attrition. The “resistance axis” is determined to pursue a war of attrition with Israel, no matter how much damage it causes.
The Times of Israel acknowledged that Hamas leader Sinwar had determined that he would survive until the end of the war. Sinwar launched an attack on Israel, aiming to inflict maximum casualties on Israel. Weakening and defeating Israel and eliminating the largest US military presence in the Middle East is the goal of the “axis of resistance”.
Without Israel, America’s greatest “hegemony” in the Middle East would disappear, so in every military action of Tel Aviv, there will be Washington’s help.
The most troubling thing for Israel today is not the military capabilities of its rival armed forces, but the explosion of the Muslim population in the Middle East in recent decades. In the Middle East, there are no factories, leading to a large number of unemployed people, these unemployed armies, can provide an endless source of manpower for the “axis of resistance”.
In fact, not only the Arab countries in the Middle East, but also the Arab population in Israel is growing explosively. In 1948, when Israel was founded, there were 156,000 Arabs in the country. By 2024, after 76 years, the Arab population in Israel has reached nearly 2.2 million people, an increase of 1,296%.
There are hundreds of millions of people in the Arab and Persian countries, but only a few million Jews in Israel. If the Arab-Persian world makes a concerted effort, and with the proliferation of modern missiles and drones, they can absolutely put Israel in a difficult situation.
Even if the Israeli military bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities and some of its oil storage tanks, it will not be able to change this strategic situation. Given the seemingly unfavorable situation, if Israel wants to continue to stand firm in the Middle East, it may want to conduct more targeted bombings. Therefore, Israel is said to be about to “unsheath its sword”.
