Israel launched a surprise attack against Iran on Friday — wiping out the top echelon of its military command and targeting the oil and gas industry for the first time. Dozens of people have been killed over the past three days as both countries launched a barrage of attacks and counter-attacks. Tel Aviv has also claimed that the worst was yet to come with Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to attack Tehran for “as long as necessary”. The attack on Friday was planned meticulously for months and executed with clockwork precision.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted sources to claim that the plan had been set into motion several months earlier — with Mossad agents establishing an operational base inside Iran that was stocked with drones. These explosives-laden drones were activated on Friday and targeted surface-to-surface missile launchers at a military base near Tehran. Offensive strike technology had also been embedded in vehicles within Iranian territory for the sole purpose of disabling surface-to-air missile systems that could pose a threat to Israeli aircraft.
Mossad commando units that were active in central Iran also deployed precision-guided weapon systems in open areas near Iranian air defense sites at the same time. The agents on ground had used the drones and other weapons to attack the air-defense system and ballistic-missile launchers within Iran — helping to clear a path for Israeli warplanes and blunting the response from Tehran.
Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Israel had spent months smuggling the bomb-laden quadcopter drone parts into Iran through suitcases, trucks, and shipping containers. In some cases they were shipped through partners that remained unaware of the cargo details. Mossad agents within the country then gathered the equipment had handed it out to teams who readied the drones. People were trained outside Iran before returning as team leaders on the ground.