DUBAI, April 15. /TASS/. The destruction of Iranian missiles and drones cost billions of dollars, so Israel and the US will not be able to repel attacks of such intensity for several days in a row, former US intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector to Iraq Scott Ritter told Al Mayadeen TV channel.
"First of all, when we talk about Israel's defense, Israel cannot defend itself. There has been proof of that: Iranian missiles hit Israeli bases," he opined. "What we also have to understand is the amount of money that is spent to defend Israel against drones and cruise missiles. It's billions of dollars. This is an unrepeatable event," Ritter added.
"How many days in a row will Israel and its allies be able to use high-tech, multi-billion dollar missile defenses? <..> The answer is three or five days. They will run out of missiles before Iran runs out of drones. Guess what happens after that?" the analyst said.
"If Iran ends up with the number of missiles and drones necessary to sustain this level of action for a week, they will have exhausted Israel's ability to defend itself. Look at what happened to Ukraine when they ran out of air defenses: they have nothing to defend their airspace, and Russia is picking them apart. Iran will take Israel apart when it runs out of air defenses," Ritter pointed out.
According to his assessments, in the event of a full-scale conflict, Iran would wait until Israel spent its missiles destroying its drones, and then begin destroying Israeli infrastructure with more powerful missile weapons. "Iran didn't want casualties or damage, they wanted to prove something, and they did. <...> Israel cannot be defended. That's what they wanted to prove. There is nothing anyone can do if Iran decides to destroy it. Fortunately, I hope Iran will not make that decision," Ritter concluded.
Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel on the evening of April 13, calling it a response to numerous crimes, including an airstrike on the consular section of the country’s embassy in Damascus. The Israel Defense Forces said it had intercepted 99% of the Iranian projectiles that flew toward the country, with minor damage to the Nevatim air base. No deaths or serious injuries were reported in Israel.