Iran's Military Buildup: A Direct Threat to Israel's Security?

The Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program and military assets and Iran's responding missile strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations. RAND experts provide insights into the strategic, diplomatic, and economic dimensions of this unfolding crisis. Last night, the government of Israel decided to roll the dice on a military solution to Iran’s decades-long pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. Given the remarkable capabilities of the Israel Defense Forces, the operation could do tremendous damage to the Iranian nuclear program. During Iran's missile strikes on Israel on October 1, 2024, the main systems deployed included the Fattah-1 and Kheibar Shekan missiles. The recently unveiled Fattah-1 is a medium-range ballistic missile known for its long-range targeting precision. Threats from both Iran and Israel are intensifying, pushing them closer to direct military conflict in an already volatile and war-torn region. Alongside Israeli military drills, stalled. Israel’s precise preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear and military targets, named Operation Rising Lion , is a decisive response to the escalating and imminent threat posed by the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons ambitions and regional aggression. Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on April 14 , in retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria, represented the most dangerous round of conflict between the two countries in decades. This attack involved more than 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel presented Iran’s sophisticated ballistic missiles as a critical threat to Israel’s survival. The significant developments in the region since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 , 2023 , especially the direct military conflicts between Iran and Israel starting in April 2024, could lead to changes in Iran’s security concept. The goal of the war is to significantly delay Iran ’ s timeline to a nuclear weapon, severely degrade its capacity to produce surface-to-surface missiles, and greatly reduce its ability to rebuild the strength of its terrorist proxies along Israel’s borders. Projectiles were seen in the skies above Jerusalem late Saturday as Iran and Israel launched another round of missiles at each other. Follow our live updates.