An unauthorized release of documents on Sunday on Telegram reveal a plan by Israel to launch a strike on Iran. According to the Associated Press, “The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate.” The plans reveal two Air Launched Ballistic Missile, or ALBM, Systems called Rocks and Blue Sparrow. Israel plans to use Blue Sparrow for long range attacks on Iran, while Rocks is intended to hit Iranian targets from above and below.“Rocks is a long-range missile system made by the Israeli company Rafael and designed to hit a variety of targets both above and below ground. Golden Horizon is thought to refer to the Blue Sparrow missile system with a range of around 2,000km (1,240 miles),” BBC reports.

There are a  variety of targets in Iran that include government buildings, oil installations and nuclear facilities, but striking Iran will be a challenge for Israel. According to AP, “Striking anywhere in Iran is a logistical challenge for Israel. Warplanes would need to fly over 1,500 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) to their target, requiring a complicated midair refueling operation, potentially over hostile skies. Any strike would also mean confronting Iran’s Russian-made air-defense systems.” The planned strike is in retaliation to Iran’s largest ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, Iran`s second attack in the last six months, Reuters reports. 

Shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iranians, Iran launched Operation True Promise 2. According to IranWire a collaborative news website run by Iranian journalists outside Iran, “Twenty-four hours after Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the people of Iran by saying Iranians would be free ‘a lot sooner than people think,’ the Islamic Republic launched the ‘True Promise 2’ operation, claiming to have fired 200 missiles at Israel.” The New York Times reports that the exact number of missiles that were fired was 180, forcing millions of people to take cover in bomb shelters. Iran is one of the sharpest critics of Israel`s bombing of Gaza, and had cheered those who attacked Israel, as well as an attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, NPR reports. 

A Brief History of Israel-Iran Relations

From the 1950s to 1970s, Iran and Israel were allies after the country was founded in 1948. According to Israel21c, an American magazine with researchers from Israel, “In those two decades, Iran-Israel relations were warm yet unofficial. There were daily El Al flights [an Israeli airline] from Tel Aviv to Tehran. An Israeli school in Tehran catered to the children of Israeli families who made the Iranian capital their home while on business.” A pivotal moment for Israel-Iran relations was after the Iranian revolution in 1979. According to Brookings, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became the first Supreme Leader of Iran after he overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Ayatollah Khomeini`s personal views on Israel were quite negative for political reasons, calling Israel, “Little Satan.” 

“After the Iranian Islamic Revolution brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his religious revolutionaries to power, Iran scrapped all previous agreements with Israel. Khomeini directed fierce criticism at Israel for its occupation of Palestinian territories,” according to the DW Documentary, a German public state-owned international broadcaster. From conservatives to pro-reformers, Iranians still view Israel quite negatively, the Wilson Center states, a nonpartisan counsel and insight on global affairs.