An Israeli airstrike on Iran on Friday damaged an air defense system, according to Western and Iranian officials, in an attack calculated to deliver a message that Israel could bypass Iran¡¯s defensive systems undetected and paralyze them.
The strike damaged a defensive battery near Natanz, a city in central Iran that is crucial to the country¡¯s nuclear weapons program, according to two Western officials and two Iranian officials. The attack ¡ª and the revelation Saturday of its target ¡ª was in retaliation for Iran¡¯s strike in Israel last week after Israel bombed its embassy compound in Damascus, Syria. But it used a fraction of the firepower Tehran deployed in launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel.
The strike Friday was the latest salvo in a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the two countries this month that have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict. But the relatively limited scope of Israel¡¯s strike and the muted response from Iranian officials seem to have eased tensions.
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