Israel’s Air Force Superiority Undermined by Sophisticated Missiles Systems in Region

Former commander of Israel’s Air Forces warned on Thursday that his country’s air superiority is increasingly undermined by the proliferation of sophisticated surface-to-air missile systems throughout the region – in Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula.

“The Israeli Air Force needs to be ready to fly in places where there is a threat to its superiority,” outgoing Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan told The Jerusalem Post.

“When we approach a front like Lebanon or Gaza we will first look at the intelligence, then study the threats and then think about the best way to carry out our missions,” he said.

Nehushtan pointed out that the Israel Air Force is prepared for the many missions and threats it faces in the Middle East, including a possible operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The report said that Amir Eshel replaced Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, who has held the position for the past four years and has completed 37 years of military service.

“I understand the missions that stand before the Israeli Air Force, and we have done everything we can during this period to create capabilities so we can fulfill these missions,” Nehushtan said in the interview that will appear in Friday’s Magazine.

“I think that in this specific issue [Iran] we should not talk,” Nehushtan said. “I say this with all of the responsibility it entails. I think that a public discourse on this issue is lacking the basic facts needed to hold it and I think that it should not be held in this way.”

Israel, which is widely assumed to have the Middle East’s only atomic arsenal, feels threatened by the prospect of its arch-foe Iran going nuclear and has hinted it could launch preemptive war.