Report: Israel Sees Opportunity to Bomb Iran After Downfall of Assad

The Times of Israel reports the Israeli military has increased preparations for a potential attack on Iran

by Dave DeCamp 

December 12, 2024

https://news.antiwar.com/2024/12/12/report-israel-sees-opportunity-to-bomb-iran-after-downfall-of-assad/

The Israeli military believes there is now an opportunity to bomb Iran due to the weakening of its allies in the region following the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, The Times of Israel reported on Thursday.

Israeli military officials said in the wake of the regime change in Syria, the Israeli Air Force has increased its preparations for a potential attack on Iran.

The Times report said the IDF is considering launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. While Israeli officials are constantly claiming Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, there is no evidence that’s the case, a fact recently acknowledged by the CIA.

In the wake of Assad’s ouster, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign in Syria, launching 480 strikes in just 48 hours. The Israeli military said it decimated the former government’s military assets, destroying about 80% of the equipment that was left behind.

Israeli officials now say they have total air superiority over Syria due to the lack of air defenses, which could make it easier to launch airstrikes on Iran. Israeli warplanes used to have to avoid air defenses when bombing Syria, but now Israeli officials say they’re able to fly over Damascus without having to worry about getting shot down by Russian-made air defenses.

Israel last bombed Iran in October, attacks that damaged some air defenses and killed four Iranian soldiers and one civilian. Iranian officials vowed a response to the attack, but nothing has happened so far. Israel launched the strikes on Iran in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel that was retaliation for a string of Israeli escalations in the region.