Israel's strike on Iran took out missile defense systems, Islamic Republic 'is essentially naked'

Herzi Halevichief of the general staff

Our message is very, very clear… ‘Any threat, anywhere, at any time, we will know how to reach it, we will know how to strike,

said Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi

Sabrina Singhdeputy Pentagon Press Secretary

We believe that this should be the end of this tit-for-tat,

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said during a meeting today with reporters

Downplaying the attack can be used to avoid a response, but it may also be a reflexive response, to buy time before a decision is made on whether and how to respond,

said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at Le Beck International, a security and risk management consultancy

Any future Israel attack will be even more effective,

Horowitz said

It was a very smart attack, targeting all the sensitive sites,

Hinz said in an interview

Benjamin Netanyahuprime Minister

We hit hard Iran’s defense capabilities and its ability to produce missiles that are aimed at us,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech, adding

The missiles are dispersed all over the country, some of them are deep inside Iran and deep underground. Attacking them would be very difficult,

he said

It's safe to say the Iranians have been trying to get more out of Assad,

Haid said

Tehran won't make that dangerous decision unless it faces a threat to its national security, such as targeting its nuclear program,

Koulouriotis said

I don't see that [Assad] would sacrifice these relations unless he personally and his regime are in existential danger,

Koulouriotis concluded

Because supply lines and the movement of goods from Lebanon have been suspended, and a wave of displaced people are putting pressure on resources, prices in Syria are rising for everyone,

Haid added

It's difficult to say with certainty what's happening behind closed doors but Israel, from the beginning, has made it clear, through public as well as private messaging, that any involvement will come with a heavy price,

Haid noted

So I think, first and foremost, it's about self-preservation,

Haid Haid, a consulting fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at the British think tank Chatham House, told DW

So, from that perspective, I think it's safe to say that, if Assad can't keep supply lines open, this this could be one of Iran's requests,

he said

Herzi Halevichief of the general staff

If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time,

chief of the general staff Herzi Halevi told air and ground crews who took part in the strike on Iran against missile factories and other sites last Saturday

We can't 100% exclude the possibility it's something else, but it's almost certain this building got damaged because of an Israeli attack,

Hinz said

Like with Iran's nuclear program, you don't build the system itself, you build all the technology under cover of a civilian program,

Hinz said

We don't know if Iranian production has been crippled as some people are saying or just damaged,

said Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who studies Iran

Abbas Araghchiforeign Minister

Due to preparedness and vigilance of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces, and timely reaction by the country's air defense, limited damage was caused to some of the points hit,

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed in a meeting with foreign diplomats Tuesday in Tehran

The picture that is emerging is one of significant damage to Iranian air defenses as well as missile launch facilities, both of which would be intended to show the Iranians that they are vulnerable to further strikes if they attempt retaliation,

an analysis published Monday by two experts at Britain's Royal United Services Institute said