Key Points and Summary – In a stunning first-hand account, an Israeli F-16I navigator has claimed that during the recent 12-day war, Iran “didn’t fire a single anti-aircraft missile” at Israeli jets.
-The pilot described the “historical” feeling of the mission and the complete lack of resistance from Iran’s formidable air defense network.
-The most plausible explanation for this inaction is strategic restraint; Tehran was likely too afraid that shooting down an Israeli fighter would be seen as a major escalation, risking a massive and direct U.S. military retaliation that could push the conflict past the point of no return.
Israeli Pilot Claims Iran Didn’t Fire ‘Single’ Missile At Aircraft
In a wide-ranging interview with The War Zone, a highly respected defense publication, an Israeli F-16I navigator claimed that Iran did not fire a single anti-aircraft missile at Israeli jets during the 12-day war.
The interview, published Monday, offers a detailed first-hand account of Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, with commentary from a pilot, the first Druze aviator in the Israeli Air Force, identified only as Lt. Col. I.
When asked if he experienced any anti-aircraft fire during his mission, he said:
“Not at all. They didn’t fire a single anti-aircraft missile towards us in the whole war. They did against drones, but against jet pilots, not even once.”
Speaking about his experience crossing into Iranian airspace knowing that he would be tasked with striking Iranian targets, the navigator said that it felt like they were conducting something “historical.”
“The feeling was that we are going to the unknown. We had the information. We did all the drills, we did all the training before, about what the other side had and the risks that we were going to face,” he said.
“I was focused on the mission and the task, and we did it as perfectly as possible. And just as we headed back west and we saw all the other planes that were coming from Israel, that feeling was unbelievable, a feeling of success and power, that we are doing something historical,” he continued.
Why Did Iran Hold Back?
Iran had the means to respond, but chose not to do so.
Though inferior to Israel’s air force and overall military capabilities, Tehran has spent years building the best layered air defense system it can.
That network includes Russian-supplied S-300PMU-2 launchers, as well as homegrown systems like the Bavar-373 and Khordad-15, the latter of which can work with Sayyad-3 missiles to intercept enemy aircraft at a range of up to 150 kilometers.
So, why weren’t they used?
The most plausible explanation is strategic restraint.
Iran very likely understood that trying to shoot down an Israeli fighter could be viewed as a significant escalation.
It would risk drawing not only further retaliation but also a more direct U.S. military response.
Iran’s decision to limit its retaliation to symbolic strikes, as it did with the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, may have been part of an effort to show strength without pushing the conflict past the point of no return.
On July 20, Iran publicly confirmed the restoration of its damaged air defense infrastructure in the wake of the conflict. Deputy Operations Chief Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi said that systems had been replaced using domestic platforms that were pre-positioned in storage for rapid deployment.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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Jim
July 26, 2025 at 11:19 am
Sir, I can believe the account of not being shot at with interceptor missiles.
Why? Because Israeli jets didn’t fly into Iranian airspace (small limited incursions at Iran’s border is a possibility), but rather launched from “stand-off” positions outside Iranian airspace (mostly Iraq airspace and potentially Syrian airspace).
The claim that Israel had air supremacy over the skies of Tehran is false. Yes, there were drones and missiles (again, fired from stand-off positions) flying overhead Tehran, but zero Israeli fighter jets.
Why didn’t Israel’s jets fly into Iranian airspace? Simple, Israel’s government didn’t want to risk losing aircraft. (The purpose was to trick the United States into doing the heavy lifting, Netanyahu thought he had an easy mark in Donald Trump… surprisingly, it didn’t work as planned.)
And, frankly, people have claimed it was a decapitation operation to cause regime change, but that wasn’t likely, even though Netanyahu, apparently, did sell the idea to Trump. No, it was to cause chaos which would collapse Iran’s ability respond with their long-range missiles… like taking a 2×4 and smashing an anthill… what do you get? Chaos and an inability to defend against attacks.
Also, as is Israel’s wont, they wanted minimal risk to their own pilots and aircraft, and were hoping it would cause the U. S. to step in and do the actual heavy lifting.
Netanyahu wanted a regime change war… carried out by the United States with Israel as a supportive “corner man” while it was the U. S. being the one actually in the ring and doing the bulk of the fighting.
Israel does just enough to drag the United States into doing Israel’s dirty work (see the Iraq War) and suffering the casualties, cost, and destruction, too, I might add.
This has been a classic modus operandi of Israel for years, do just enough, hoping it will trigger the U. S. into jumping in and doing the rest and suffering the brunt of whatever cost in lives and money as a result of said action (and being a diplomatic shield like having a Big Brother standing behind them and running interference).
It’s another example of Netanyahu using the U. S. That’s always been Netanyahu’s personal modus operandi regarding the United States: use us for our money, weapons, military might, and diplomatic cover… until we go dry.
We need to cut Netanyahu off from the U. S. tit before he wrecks Israel and the United States.