Iranian officials reportedly admit: Israel's deception operation succeeded
Iranian officials acknowledge that a critical miscalculation left the country vulnerable to Israel's extensive military assault on Friday, according to The New York Times, based on interviews with Iranian and military officials.
Tehran had expected Israel to wait until after another round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, and believed it would not take action. Signs of an impending attack were interpreted as psychological pressure from Israel.
As a result, major precautionary measures were neglected. Senior Revolutionary Guard commanders, including General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, reportedly ignored an order not to gather together, and they were killed during a meeting at a military base in Tehran.
Officials told the NYT that on the night of the Israeli strike, senior military commanders did not seek shelter in safe houses and remained in their homes, sealing their fate.
Despite internal disagreements and concerns about escalation, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei ultimately approved a limited missile barrage in retaliation against Israel. However, members of the Revolutionary Guards admitted they were unable to launch the planned 1,000 missiles due to damage caused by the initial Israeli strikes. In the end, only about 100 missiles were launched in the first retaliatory barrage.
Dov Gil-Har is a corespondent for KAN 11.
