Power mismatch in Israel-Iran war shows importance of air superiority
Via WSJ:
Within 48 hours of starting its war on Iran, Israel said it gained air superiority over the western part of the country, including Tehran. Israeli warplanes began dropping bombs from within Iranian skies instead of relying on expensive long-range missiles.
That is a feat that the giant Russian air force has been unable to achieve in Ukraine in 3½ years of war. This setback is one of the reasons why Moscow’s troops have been bogged down in grinding trench warfare, sustaining staggering losses, ever since they failed to rapidly seize Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in February 2022.
Via NBC News:
The Israeli military says it has achieved “full aerial superiority” over Tehran, with a spokesperson comparing its capabilities to those seen in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces yesterday completed a fresh wave of strikes in Tehran, targeting more than 20 military “command centers” and the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, IDF spokesman Effie Defrin said in a briefing today.
Israel also says it has destroyed a third of Israel’s missile launchers, about 50 military aircraft and more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles.