The Spike missile’s presence within Iranian territory indicates that Israel could have the capability to operate the Spike remotely.

Israel’s Operation Rising Lion campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran is in full throttle, with tit-for-tat exchanges in violence occurring regularly. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched its strike operation targeting Iran’s nuclear program last week, meticulously carrying out a well-coordinated assault on the regime’s military assets, leadership targets, and air defense systems. Stunning footage released by the IDF depicts Mossad agents aiding the extensive operation from within Iran. New images released by Iranian state-run media appear to showcase remnants of Israeli-made Spike missile systems left behind following the initial wave of strikes. According to The War Zone, the presence of these systems within Iranian territory indicates that Israel could have the capability to operate the Spike remotely.

The Iranian Press TV news outlet covered the alleged presence of Spike missile remnants in Iran. “Iranian intelligence forces have discovered customized Spike missile launchers … designed to suppress Iran’s air defenses, equipped with internet-based automation and remote control systems,” the outlet reported on Telegram on Monday. “They were operated by terrorist Mossad agents.”

Spike missiles are not the only weapons Israeli operatives were able to deploy in the first stages of Operation Rising Lion. According to other Iranian news sources, an Israeli drone factory was discovered in a building positioned in a city just south of Tehran. While the IDF has not verified these claims, Israel’s ability to carry out strikes from within Iran is obviously significant. An IDF official mirrored this rhetoric, stating in an interview with The War Zone that, “Mossad and other Israeli covert forces have been operating facilities for assembling drones, UAVs, and various types of precision-guided missiles designed for manual launch from the ground,” adding that “For years, they’ve successfully smuggled raw materials and assembled weapon systems inside Tehran itself.

The Spike Missile

Although many of Israel’s homegrown weapons and defense systems are highly regarded by military analysts across the globe, the Spike family of missiles is especially noteworthy. The Israeli government required a missile system capable of thwarting large swarms of adversarial tanks following lessons learned in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where Syrian and Egyptian troops armed with Soviet tanks overwhelmed Israel’s defenses. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed the Spike anti-tank missile to fulfill this need. As a fire-and-forget weapon, the Spike’s operator can deliver a precise strike while remaining up to 30 kilometers away from the target. The Israeli weapon uses a small fiber-optic cable that connects the weapon to the launching system, in addition to a camera in the weapon itself. Equipped with an internal camera, the missile’s operator is able to view the weapon’s attack path and alter it while in flight.

The Spike missile’s impressive performance record has caught the attention of dozens of foreign client states. In fact, over 40 countries have purchased the Israel anti-tank missile system over the years. If the IDF was indeed capable of operating these advanced weapons remotely during the initial phase of Operation Rising Lion, the Spike missile is sure to see another surge in popularity.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.

Image: DVIDS.

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