Daily Alert Archives

What We Can Learn from Israel's Operation Against Iran

(X) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - Imagine if the Allied D-Day invasion in World War II began with the elimination of the head of the German High Command; Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS; Field Marshal Erwin Rommel; numerous other senior generals; and the destruction of all of Germany's air defenses, before a single Allied soldier landed at Normandy. That would be a near-parallel to what Israel just did to Iran. This was the beginning of a layered, synchronized campaign, built on deep intelligence and strategic deception. It was a multi-domain offensive that combined cyber, human intelligence, electronic warfare, airpower, special operations, and psychological operations. Israel achieved surprise at the highest level, disrupting Iranian defenses. The Mossad and Israeli intelligence not only knew where nuclear scientists and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders were located. They manipulated meeting schedules and lured multiple top generals into the same underground facility to be eliminated simultaneously. Israel deployed 200 aircraft during the first night of the operation. They operated for over two hours in Iranian airspace, including directly over Tehran. This was made possible after air defenses were blinded, radar jammers and cyber tools disrupted early warning systems, and electronic warfare severed command coordination. Because Israel had already targeted and neutralized the trucks, radars, and commanders who would have organized a more coordinated and lethal retaliation, the immediate Iranian response was late, confused, and largely ineffective. Israel's Operation Rising Lion is a case study in modern warfare. This is the future of war. It is multi-domain, preemptive, and asymmetric. It is built on intelligence and designed for initiative. Israel disarmed, disoriented, and destabilized a much larger adversary before the war had even begun. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
2025-06-16 00:00:00
Full Article