By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Iranian officials say Israel has caused “deep alarm in Iran” by destroying all four Russian-made S-300 air defense systems protecting the Islamic Republic.
Israel destroyed one S-300 system in Iran in April and three more this past weekend, leaving Iran “exposed” without a defensive shield to intercept incoming missiles, according to Israeli sources familiar with the situation.
Military experts say the S-300 is one of the most potent defense systems in the world, capable of reaching a distance of up to 125 miles (200 kilometers).
U.S. broadcaster Fox News quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that “the majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out” in strikes that reportedly killed four Iranian soldiers.
A senior U.S. official confirmed that, among other key military targets, the Saturday airstrikes took out three S-300 systems over the weekend.
The strikes came after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel at the beginning of the month.
Tehran has attempted to downplay the damage caused by the airstrikes. On Wednesday, local media cited Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh as saying missile production has not been disrupted.
NOT SUCCESSFUL?
“The enemy has sought to hurt both our defensive and offensive systems but was not very successful because we had made arrangements and were in the know,” he claimed.
“The [production] knowledge is indigenous, so there is no disruption in the manufacturing process of missiles,” Nasirzadeh said.
He seemed to confirm that a defense system was damaged in the attack, saying it had been“replaced the day after.”
However, privately, Iranian officials said the strike on Iran’s air defenses caused “deep alarm” in the nation.
The Israeli attack rendered defenseless Khuzestan Province’s Abadan oil refinery, Bandar Imam Khomeini petrochemical complex, and an adjacent major port, as well as the Tange Bijar gas field in the Ilam Province.
The U.S. had urged Israel not to attack nuclear sites or gas and oil fields, though that option remains open if Iran attacks Israel again.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes had destroyed “industrial factories of death.”
“We severely damaged Iran’s defense systems and its ability to export missiles,” Netanyahu stressed in a speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. “These were not [basic tools] we were attacking.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.