At least seven Iranian military personnel, including General Mohammad-Reza Zahedi and his deputy General Mohamad-Hadi Haji Rahimi, were martyred in the unprovoked attack, reportedly carried out by US-supplied F-35 stealth fighter jets. The Islamic Republic of Iran quickly promised retaliation, a right legitimized under Article 51 of the UN Charter—a promise it indeed kept.
Iran launched dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as loitering munitions in the operation, codenamed True Promise, from its vast arsenal. Despite being under the most severe sanctions regime in the history of mankind for decades, and having its scientists and engineers assassinated and its infrastructure sabotaged, Iran successfully managed to penetrate the most fortified airspace on Earth and prove its military prowess. The sheer scale of Iran’s retaliation has shocked both allies and adversaries, requiring two former superpowers and a decaying one, their genocidal Zionist colony, and a handful of their puppet states in the region to try to stop the Iranians. Let's take a closer look at the five types of assets that we now know Iran used in its retaliation.
Kheibar Shekan (Destroyer of Kheibar)
Unveiled in 2022, the Kheibar Shekan marks the third generation of Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles. Developed from the Dezful missile, it relies on advanced composite materials and solid fuel to achieve a significant reduction in overall weight and size, which in turn allows its trailer-mounted erector/launchers to carry two missiles each. The preparation time has also been reduced to one-sixth compared to the older models. Weighing merely 4.5 tonnes, it has a maximum range of 1,450 kilometers in the early models and 1,800 kilometers in the latest model. Additionally, as has been the case with other new Iranian ballistic missiles, the missile boasts astonishing maneuverability and accuracy, as clearly seen in the amateur videos of Iran’s reprisal attack, at the cost of a small reduction in explosive payload.
Emad
The Emad medium-range ballistic missile entered service in 2015 and was the first ballistic missile in the Iranian arsenal to feature a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MARV), essentially a precision-guided warhead that could be controlled until impact. It uses a liquid-fuel rocket motor to reach a maximum range of 1,700 kilometers while carrying a 750 kg warhead. It weighs more than 17 tonnes and is 15.5 meters in length.
Paveh cruise missile
Iran first disclosed its plans to build a land-attack cruise missile at the IRGC’s Aerospace Force exhibition held in 2014 by showcasing the Ya Ali missile. The Paveh was shown to the public for the first time in 2023 during a TV program. It is an all-weather medium-range subsonic cruise missile. A fixed engine configuration, instead of a drop-down one, has helped lower development and production costs and in turn boost production rates. The compact missile is equipped with a short-life turbojet engine that enables an impressive range of 1,650 km.
Shahed-136
The Shahed-136 loitering munition is essentially a low-cost cruise missile that can also be utilized as a decoy to exhaust the enemy's valuable and costly air defense missiles. So, whether it strikes its intended target or is shot down, it would be a win-win for its operator. It weighs just 200 kilograms and is loaded with a rather small but effective 50-kilogram multi-purpose warhead. Just like how the Fattah family of hypersonic ballistic missiles shows the zenith of Iran’s technological advancement, it is my belief that the Shahed-136 demonstrates Iranian ingenuity in designing a potent standoff weapon, a perfect tool for a war of attrition.
The Iranians used this operation to not only take revenge for the assassination of their generals but also to demonstrate their ability to execute a large-scale complex strike far from their borders flawlessly, a capability in the hands of very few states. Before Operation True Promise, and for years, the Zionists had prided themselves on possessing an impenetrable shield while targeting crude and simple Palestinian and Lebanese rockets. That myth is now shattered. Initially, and as suspected, they hysterically denied any Iranian munition made it through, but numerous videos taken by cheering Palestinians forced them to change their narrative and admit to “small damage” caused by the Iranians. The Zionist regime amassed all its assets and friends, yet the Iranians made it through, even after giving a 72-hour notice. According to their own estimates, the Zionists burned through $1.33 billion worth of air defense missiles, while their Western sponsors are believed to have spent an equal amount. Moreover, it is a safe bet to assume that Iran and Russia, among others, already have signals intelligence (SIGINT) stations in close proximity and have collected valuable data. This data will help them study the techniques and tactics used by their enemies to fine-tune their own systems and methods.
On the other hand, the Iranian efforts cost less than $50 million. Similar to the aftermath of Operation Martyr Soleimani and the hacking and capture of the RQ-170 by Iranians, it will take some time before the Western regimes, their mouthpieces, and the regional Uncle Toms reluctantly admit defeat. The ever-so-patient Persians have had enough with the Zionists’ barbarism, and just like how they blotted out the sun in the Battle of Thermopylae, this time their arrows illuminated the sky over their enemies in Operation True Promise.
If the Zionists decide to escalate once again, the Iranians might pluck out their air defense systems such as the highly prized AN/TPY-2 missile-defense radar among other irreplaceable assets.
* Kiarash Jalili, a York University alumnus with a BA Honours in Political Science, lends his expertise to the IRNA as a defense and political contributor.
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