The high precision technology accounting for the astonishing accuracy of Iran’s missile strike on the US Ain Al Asad air base in Iraq on Jan. 8 came from Moscow, say Russian media quoting local military sources. They name the technology as the GLONASS global navigation system, which corresponds to the American GPS, and had the effect of reducing the Iranian missiles’ targeting error to just 10 meters.
The same sources report that the Iranians launched altogether 19 missiles against the Ain al Asad base n western Iraq, of which 17 struck dead center of their targets.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the accuracy of impact amazed US and Israel intelligence, which had not been aware of this Iranian capacity. Its significance is such that – whether provided by Russia or self-made – Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles can reach any point in the Middle East that is unprotected by effective anti-missile systems within a 700km radius.
Still defending Russia’s downing of the Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people aboard, hours after the Iranian attacks on US bases in Iraq, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed there were “at least six F-35 fighters in the air in the Iranian border area at the time” when Iranian forces “were braced for some kind of US military retaliation.” Lavrov did not say whether the planes belonged to the US air force or Israel.
