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On the night of April 14, Iran launched the first-ever massive direct attack on Israel from its territory. One of the targets of the attack was the Nevatim airbase located 15 km east-southeast of Beersheba in the Negev desert. The large air base is located near the Israeli Dimona nuclear facility.
Also known as Air Force Base 28, this is one of the largest bases of the Israeli Air Force, which has three runways of different lengths.
The spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed ‘minor damage’ to the Nevatim air base of the Israeli Air Force as a result of the Iranian attack. Forced to admit the damage, the Israeli military tried its best to assure the public that the attack did not thwart the operation of the strategically important military facility. According to the Israeli military, Iran planned to paralyze the base but failed. The IDF shared the footage of Israeli aircraft landing at the base.
“As you can see, the base is functioning and continues to perform its tasks. … Air Force aircraft continue to take off and land from the base, as well as go on offensive and defensive missions, including F-35 aircraft, which are now returning from a base defense mission,” the IDF official said.
At the same time, the official Israeli sources published footage of the craters and repair work at the Nevatim airbase after the strikes of several Iranian missiles.
On the other hand, Iranian media reported 15 strikes at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel. As it was expected the both sides attempt to declare their victories. The United States and Israel downplay the consequences of the strikes. In their turn, Iranian sources may exaggerate the success.
Finally, the satellite imagery confirmed that at least several Iranian missiles reached the target. Moreover, the imagery confirmed that at least two of the three runways of the air base were damaged as a result of the strikes.
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Indeed, the Israeli military is likely to repair the highways very soon. The damage itself is not critical; but the fact that Iranian missiles managed to reach and precisely struck the runways of the strategically important air base located near the nuclear facility in the area which is most densely protected by the vaunted Israeli air defense is a great victory of the Iranian military. The massive attack on Israel was not aimed to reach a lot of targets but to probe the Israeli air defense.
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