Historic Israeli defeat against Iran after two decades planning

Pars Today – American and Israeli sources have confirmed that the Israeli regime had been planning an attack on Iran for twenty years; however, it ultimately withdrew from the conflict without achieving its intended objectives.

On October 16, 2024, the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post published a report titled “Inside Israel’s 20-Year Secret Plan to Attack Iran,” revealing that over two decades and at the cost of billions of dollars, the Israeli regime had developed a range of specialized munitions, including long-range missiles and bunker-buster bombs.

The main objective of this project was a potential attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities—facilities which, according to Pars Today citing Fars, are located deep underground alongside Iran’s ballistic missile bases. This very feature compelled the Israeli military to spend twenty years preparing for such an attack.

In the late 2000s, Israel’s defense industry unveiled two long-range offensive missiles capable of being launched from fighter jets. Although the exact range of these missiles was not disclosed, their design indicated they were intended for attacks from beyond the reach of Iran’s air defenses.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the “Rampage” missiles, initially designed for ground-to-ground launches, were later redesigned to be fired from F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets. Each missile was estimated to cost several hundred thousand dollars.

With the outbreak of the 12-day war on June 13, 2025, the American news agency Associated Press reported that Israel’s attack on Iran had been years in the making.

Following this, on June 25 of the same year, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a report titled “Israel’s Critical Defeat Against Iran,” confirming that the Israeli regime had meticulously planned this operation over two decades.

Israel returns empty-handed

The Times of Israel reported, quoting Netanyahu, that the main objective of the operation was the destruction of two of Iran’s tangible threats: its nuclear program and ballistic missiles. He emphasized that Israel was proceeding step by step to achieve these goals and would not end the war before accomplishing them.

Netanyahu also openly admitted that Israel’s main project had been the “Libyanization of Iran”—a plan that involved destroying vital infrastructure, toppling the government, and fragmenting the country. In this context, The Jerusalem Post had called on the U.S. president to place support for terrorist and separatist groups on the agenda.

However, after the war ended, it became clear that Israel had not achieved any of its objectives. Speculation arose only regarding the possible complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program—until a U.S. intelligence report was placed on the Pentagon’s desk.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported that Iran’s nuclear activities had been set back by only three to six months. According to Reuters, informed American sources emphasized that Iran possesses tunnels into which even 15‑ton GBU‑57 bunker‑buster bombs are unable to penetrate.

Ultimately, the American newspaper The New York Times reported that classified findings confirm the U.S. attack only blocked the entrances to Iran’s nuclear facilities, while the underground structures remained largely intact.