Iran guards sky ‘day and night’ after war with Israel, air defense chief says
Iran’s top air defense commander said the country's skies are being vigilantly guarded “day and night” following the recent 12-day conflict with Israel.
Iran’s top air defense commander said the country's skies are being vigilantly guarded “day and night” following the recent 12-day conflict with Israel.
Brig. Gen. Alireza Sabahifard, who leads the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, said Iran’s air defense forces are operating with “open eyes and full strength” and will, in his words, “rub the nose of aggressors into the dirt” backed by military capabilities and “trust in God.”
The Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, Iran’s highest operational military command, oversees planning, coordination, and operational supervision of all armed forces. Its air defense base is responsible for coordinating and operating air defense activities across both the Army and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
On Sunday, Mahmoud Mousavi, the army’s deputy for operations, said Iran has replaced air defense systems damaged during last month's conflict with Israel.
"Some of our air defenses were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure," Mousavi added.
During the June conflict, Israel's air force took control of Iranian airspace, delivering a significant blow to the country's air defenses, while Iran's armed forces responded with successive waves of missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.
Israeli military officials say that 120 air defense systems were destroyed or disabled since the first wave of attacks—around a third of Iran’s pre-war total. Long-range systems, including Russian-supplied S-300s and Iran’s Bavar-373 batteries, were among those targeted.
