Iran's attacks on Israel similar to those carried out by Russia on Ukraine - ISW

The composition of the ongoing Iranian attack on Israel is similar to that of strikes that Russia has repeatedly conducted against Ukraine in efforts to determine the optimal package to penetrate Western-style air- and missile defenses.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a post on the social media platform X, Ukrinform reports.

The Iranian drone and missile attack into Israel shows that Iran is learning from the Russians and the Houthis to develop increasingly dangerous and effective strike packages against Israel and the U.S.

The combination of Iranian drones and both cruise and ballistic missiles against Israel is meant to confuse and overwhelm Israeli air defenses. Launches of concurrent attacks by Iranian-backed actors in Lebanon and Yemen are part of this effort.

"This Iranian approach mirrors Russia's experimentation with combinations of ballistic and cruise missiles alongside Iranian drones to launch increasingly effective strike packages able to penetrate US and European anti-missile and air defense systems," ISW analysts said.

Iran has also learned from Houthi attacks targeting international shipping around Yemen. The Houthis have used combinations of Iranian drones and missiles against U.S. air and missile defense systems, allowing Iran and the Houthis to test and improve their strike packages.

"The continued use of Iranian-designed drones by multiple enemies of the U.S. and the deepening ties between the actors using them will help Tehran, Russia, North Korea, and China to refine their use of these systems against the United States and its allies and partners. The U.S. and its allies and partners face an increasingly interconnected group of adversaries helping one another and learning from one another," ISW said.

Iran carried out a drone and missile attack on Israel on Saturday, April 13. According to the Israel Defense Forces, during a massive attack, Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel, with 99% of them intercepted by air defense forces.