//The Wire//2100Z April 19, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: ISRAELI COUNTERATTACK IN IRAN LARGELY INEFFECTIVE.//

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-International Events-

Middle East: Overnight several targets were struck in Iran following weeks of heightened tensions throughout the region. The main thrust of the attack appears to have taken the form of a drone attack on Isfahan Air Base, which appears to have not resulted in much damage.

-HomeFront-

New York: A man self-immolated outside the courthouse where Donald Trump’s latest trial was taking place in Manhattan. The name of the man has not been confirmed by authorities, however a manifesto that went live during the incident indicates the man was Max Azzarello. His condition is unknown. AC: As this incident is still developing the reasons for this extreme action are not immediately clear.

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Analyst Comments: Following the revelation of the ineffectiveness of the attacks in Iran, Israeli-linked media accounts have spun the incident as not being officially sanctioned by the Israeli government…face-saving actions are only diplomatically valuable when the strike itself is effective. Consequently, it’s possible that the attack was so ineffective that Israel no longer wants credit for it.

As the conflict in the Middle East remains a delicate balance of face-saving actions and international pressure, it is likely that both Iran’s counterattack, and Israel’s response to the counterattack were intended to appear to their citizenry as effective, without actually causing much damage. Iran’s strike occurred with many hours warning, and Israel’s response was similar to recent strikes carried out in Iran over the past couple of years.

However, some details of the Israeli attack do not add up, such as Iranian statements that the attack took place using small quadcopters. If true, Iranian forces have much larger problems ahead, as these platforms only have a range of a few miles, meaning Mossad operatives would have to be extremely close to their targets inside Iran. In the past, larger drones were used (such as in the attack in Kermanshah a couple of years ago) and allegedly launched from semi-autonomous regions of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, the close geographic proximity of these locations allowing for the use of smaller drones to conduct the attack. Isfahan Air Base is vastly outside the range of any small drone system, so the seemingly minor details of this attack being carried out by small quadcopters is either factually inaccurate or the attack was launched from within Iranian territory. As a result, the possibility must be considered that more attacks and/or sabotage activities may be conducted in Iran over the next few days/weeks.

Analyst: S2A1

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