Commander of the Air Defense of the IRGC Claims Israeli Airstrikes Caused 'Minor Damages'

The commander of the Air Defense of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC claimed that the Israeli airstrikes two and a half months ago caused 'minor damages' to areas in Iran. Davood Sheykhian rejected reports about 'fundamental and significant' damage to Iran's air defense and claimed that the damages inflicted in those attacks have been 'compensated.' In response to Iranian attacks on its territory, Israel targeted military positions in various regions of Iran in multiple waves on November 5. According to Israeli officials and some military officials from other countries, these attacks seriously damaged the foundation of Iran's air defense, including the destruction of S-300 systems. A senior British military official stated that Israel has almost destroyed Iran's entire air defense. However, Davood Sheykhian, in the program 'Frontline' on Islamic Republic TV, dismissed these reports and stated that 'the systems that were damaged' have returned to operational status. This IRGC commander also claimed that 'significant reinforcements' have been made in Iran's air defense, and other countries are aware of this due to their monitoring activities. About three weeks after the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the Prime Minister of Israel announced that the attacks on November 5 effectively led to the destruction of air defense, missile production capabilities, and 'a specific part' of Iran's nuclear program. Benjamin Netanyahu stated in the Israeli parliament that in the attack on April 20, one S-300 system was targeted, and in the attacks on November 5, three remaining S-300 systems in Iran were hit. The IRGC has recently conducted a drill named 'Power,' with its air defense component carried out around the Natanz nuclear facilities. Iranian officials have not provided clear reports on the extent of the damages and the positions targeted in the November 5 Israeli attacks. These officials reported four casualties in these attacks and promised retaliation. In recent months, Iranian proxy groups in the region have suffered severe damages, and according to a senior IRGC commander, the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria was 'a bad loss' for the Islamic Republic.