The 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel ended with a tense ceasefire. Israel claims that it has set again Iran’s nuclear programme by years in a ‘historic victory’. But the truth seems to be extra advanced. Iran has suffered huge harm — its key nuclear amenities had been attacked, a lot of its high chain command was eradicated, and its air defences proved nearly ineffective. More than 600 folks, largely civilians, had been killed. It will take years, if not many years, for Iran to rebuild what it has misplaced.
Yet, victories and defeats in wars should not measured by materials losses alone. Despite the losses and a transparent energy imbalance, Tehran has refused to capitulate. Its authorities recovered swiftly from the preliminary shock of June 13, and its sustained retaliatory marketing campaign of ballistic missile and drone assaults uncovered vulnerabilities in Israel’s vaunted multilayered air defence system.