[Goose]

Question, and since it doesn’t directly deal with the Ukraine war, feel free to delete…

Since Israel and Iran don’t have a common border, how is this war going to be fought?

BC

Iran isn't going to invade Israel, and similarly Israel will not invade Iran. Iran has used proxy's to "invade" Israel with little success. Iran may at some point establish a coalition including Islamic states that do border Israel and can invade them, but that isn't going to be "soon", probably 5-10 years minimum, if ever. Iran will use its proxy forces as much as it can. Iran may also try to involve the Gulf States in an attempt to broker a cease fire. Iran doesn't have may good immediate options.
 
Israel will continue to keep the pressure on Iran militarily by violating the air space of Lebanon/Syria and Iraq. That will continue until Iran finds a way to stop it. IMO the current Israeli government sees the current correlation of forces to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hezbollah is prostrate. Hamas is severely damaged and under continuing pressure. The Houthis are still in one piece but after breaking the truce may soon be locked in a conflict with the US. The US is actively prosecuting Houthi lines of supply. Israel now has a much more direct line of air attack into Iran. Israel also still has the original "long way around" that requires aerial refueling. The do have the capacity to use that approach as they have already demonstrated. Israel's near-term goal is to convert Iran into a secular state. They intend to do that by demonstrating the theocracy cannot protect the population. There has been and still is significant unrest in Iran. Much of the population already wants a secular state. Israel wants to tip that balance. This is Israel's first goal. In any case, Israel's second goal is to render Iran militarily destitute and without a nuclear program. They will bomb until the second goal is accomplished, hoping the first goal goes along with it. They think they can do that, but it has to be soon because the current situation won't last forever.

The previous US administration attempted with some success to restrain Israel. That was before the "short way" into Iran was available and before Russia was completely out of Syria. Whether the current administration could restrain Israel at this point is unknown. ATM the current administration is trying to claim it is playing Good Cop Bad Cop with Iran. Whether that is by choice or by necessity I don't know. I also doubt the current administration has any intention of cutting off aid to Israel, no matter what they do. Of course, this is all my opinion, not a fact :-).

---

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israe...ources-say
If this is true (which it very well could be) it is a big advantage for Israel and the US. I am assuming Israel used F-16 drop tanks, which they have plenty of. IMO Israel accepted a larger radar cross-section for the first 2-4 hundred miles or so of the mission because nobody in that immediate region except the US would even notionally have the ability to see an F-35 with a slightly degraded RCS.

[Goose]

Question, and since it doesn’t directly deal with the Ukraine war, feel free to delete…

Since Israel and Iran don’t have a common border, how is this war going to be fought?

BC

Iran isn't going to invade Israel, and similarly Israel will not invade Iran. Iran has used proxy's to "invade" Israel with little success. Iran may at some point establish a coalition including Islamic states that do border Israel and can invade them, but that isn't going to be "soon", probably 5-10 years minimum, if ever. Iran will use its proxy forces as much as it can. Iran may also try to involve the Gulf States in an attempt to broker a cease fire. Iran doesn't have may good immediate options.
 
Israel will continue to keep the pressure on Iran militarily by violating the air space of Lebanon/Syria and Iraq. That will continue until Iran finds a way to stop it. IMO the current Israeli government sees the current correlation of forces to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hezbollah is prostrate. Hamas is severely damaged and under continuing pressure. The Houthis are still in one piece but after breaking the truce may soon be locked in a conflict with the US. The US is actively prosecuting Houthi lines of supply. Israel now has a much more direct line of air attack into Iran. Israel also still has the original "long way around" that requires aerial refueling. The do have the capacity to use that approach as they have already demonstrated. Israel's near-term goal is to convert Iran into a secular state. They intend to do that by demonstrating the theocracy cannot protect the population. There has been and still is significant unrest in Iran. Much of the population already wants a secular state. Israel wants to tip that balance. This is Israel's first goal. In any case, Israel's second goal is to render Iran militarily destitute and without a nuclear program. They will bomb until the second goal is accomplished, hoping the first goal goes along with it. They think they can do that, but it has to be soon because the current situation won't last forever.

The previous US administration attempted with some success to restrain Israel. That was before the "short way" into Iran was available and before Russia was completely out of Syria. Whether the current administration could restrain Israel at this point is unknown. ATM the current administration is trying to claim it is playing Good Cop Bad Cop with Iran. Whether that is by choice or by necessity I don't know. I also doubt the current administration has any intention of cutting off aid to Israel, no matter what they do. Of course, this is all my opinion, not a fact :-).

---

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israe...ources-say
If this is true (which it very well could be) it is a big advantage for Israel and the US. I am assuming Israel used F-16 drop tanks, which they have plenty of. IMO Israel accepted a larger radar cross-section for the first 2-4 hundred miles or so of the mission because nobody in that immediate region except the US would even notionally have the ability to see an F-35 with a slightly degraded RCS.