The message was unmistakable: ‘We chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time, but we could have done worse right here,’ sources told the Post.
YONAH JEREMY BOB APRIL 19, 2024 10:22
Updated: APRIL 19, 2024 19:41
Sources have confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the attack on Iran at Isfahan, attributed by sources in the New York Times to Israel, hit Iranian air force assets at Isfahan, almost right next door to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear site in the same area.
The message was unmistakable, ‘we chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time, but we could have done worse right here,’ sources told the Post.
Israel sends a clear message to Iran
In other words, the attack at Isfahan was designed not only to hurt Iran but also to make it eminently clear how vulnerable to attack its nuclear sites are.
Long-range missiles from aircraft were used to avoid Tehran’s radar detection capabilities.
This could be done again at any time.
The Israeli Air Force works to fight new and developing threats across the region (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
At the same time, by not attacking the actual nuclear site at Isfahan or other nuclear sites at Natanz and Fordow, the attacker signaled to Iran that it was not seeking a spiraling and escalating regional war.
A nuanced attack
This was a very nuanced middle-of-the-road attack, designed to threaten optimally for the future but also reduce the likelihood of another Iranian counter-strike following the Islamic Republic’s launching around 350 aerial threats at the Jewish state last weekend.
Whether it will work, both stopping Iran from moving forward with its nuclear program and deterring it from copying its strike on Israel last weekend while also avoiding an escalation into a larger war, will remain to be seen in the coming days and weeks.