Israel's 'resounding' military campaign against Iran could be historic turning point, experts say

Israel’s subject campaign successful Iran has already produced "enormous achievements," according to experts tracking the conflict, with galore citing the cognition arsenic the payoff for years of preparation, battlefield innovation and quality development.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a starring dependable connected U.S. argumentation toward Iran, called Israel’s advancement "a resounding subject win."

"They’ve really dominated the Iranian military," Dubowitz told Fox News Digital. "They’ve taken retired galore elder subject leaders, the Iranian Air Force, and a important percent of rocket launchers and ballistic inventory."

Still, Iran’s retaliation is taking a toll. On Thursday morning, an Iranian rocket struck Soroka Medical Center successful Beersheba and targeted respective large cities, injuring hundreds.  Despite the dense costs, subject experts importune that the IDF continues to clasp the precocious hand, some tactically and strategically.

IRAN WARNS US JOINING CONFLICT WOULD MEAN ‘ALL‑OUT WAR’

Since the opening of Israel's warfare with Iran determination person been implicit 600 Aerial Refuelings successful the Middle Eastern Skies. (IDF)

Comparing the standard of occurrence to the Six-Day War, Dubowitz said, "It’s starting to look similar 1967, erstwhile the Israelis eviscerated 5 Arab armies. It whitethorn instrumentality longer than six days, but they’re surely connected that trajectory."

Hila Hadad-Hamelnik, a strategist astatine "Mind Israel" deliberation vessel and erstwhile CEO of the Ministry of Innovation, noted that the occurrence is nary mishap — it is the effect of "years of mentation successful each aspect." From processing long-range onslaught capabilities to gathering an unparalleled quality apparatus and adapting operational doctrines from Gaza and Lebanon, she said the IDF’s existent dominance is simply a merchandise of some innovation and experience.

"This is not a run idiosyncratic decided to bash six months ago," she said. "This is years of enactment — successful intelligence, successful weapons development, successful antiaircraft and violative operations. The methods we tested against Hezbollah — striking bid chains rapidly and precisely — were studied, refined, and applied here."

A monolithic plume of fume and occurrence rises from an lipid refinery successful confederate Tehran pursuing reports that an overnight Israeli onslaught targeted the tract connected June 15, 2025. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

She pointed to lessons learned successful Gaza, particularly the value of rapidly identifying and eliminating rocket launchers earlier strikes adjacent begin. "We learned done hard warring that you person to neutralize launchers, not conscionable intercept the missiles. And that doctrine — developed successful Gaza wherever targets are 5 minutes distant — has present been adapted to Iran, with each the complexity that entails."

ISRAEL SAYS IT HAS AERIAL SUPERIORITY OVER TEHRAN, IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE LEADER KILLED"

Fire and fume emergence into the entity aft an Israeli onslaught connected the Shahran lipid depot connected June 15, 2025, successful Tehran, Iran. Iran's overseas curate said the state would respond "decisively and proportionally" to a question of attacks that Israel launched opening successful the aboriginal hours of June 13. The attacks targeted aggregate military, technological and residential locations, arsenic good arsenic elder authorities officials.  (Stringer/Getty Images)

Hadad-Hamelnik stressed that Israel’s power implicit Iranian skies is "stunning … the Air Force is flying implicit Iran time aft day. Drones are holding the skies."

Smokes raises from a gathering of the Soroka infirmary analyzable aft it was deed by a rocket fired from Iran successful Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Even with the dense toll taken erstwhile Iran's missiles get through, similar the onslaught against Soroka infirmary connected Thursday, she credited the country’s antiaircraft systems, similar Iron Dome and David’s Sling — systems she helped make — which intercepted rocket salvos with implicit 90% effectiveness, adjacent amid unprecedented barrages. "This is simply a warfare of a antithetic scale, and yet the systems are holding," she said.

Dubowitz acknowledged that contempt monolithic gains, 1 cardinal people remains: the Fordow atomic enrichment facility, buried nether a upland astatine a Revolutionary Guard base.

A representation shows wherever Iran's astir important atomic facilities are situated. (Fox News)

"Israel has devastated Iran’s atomic infrastructure. They’ve eliminated 14 elder atomic scientists — the ‘Oppenheimers’ of Iran’s program," helium said. "But Fordow remains. And if it’s near standing, Iran tin rebuild."

While Dubowitz clarified that helium is not explicitly calling for U.S. subject strikes, helium said that "President Trump indispensable guarantee Fordow is afloat dismantled — whether done a diplomatic statement or, if Iran refuses, a targeted subject intervention."

He outlined 3 imaginable paths: "One, Iran shows up for a existent woody and the programme is dismantled. Two, Trump strikes Fordow. Three, Trump strikes and past negotiates. But either way, it has to extremity with Iran losing its atomic weapons capableness — not conscionable temporarily, but permanently."

An Israeli combatant pitchy takes disconnected for strikes successful Tehran. (IDF)

INSIDE ISRAEL’S SECRET WAR IN IRAN: MOSSAD COMMANDOS, HIDDEN DRONES AND THE STRIKE THAT STUNNED TEHRAN

Hadad-Hamelnik believes Israel’s occurrence has created an accidental for the United States.

"Thanks to the phenomenal achievements of the IDF, the concern is present precise clear. If the U.S. were to articulation astatine this point, with Fordow arsenic the main remaining people and astir assets already degraded, it would not look similar getting pulled into a quagmire," she said. "This is thing similar Ukraine or Afghanistan. There’s an existent way to decisive success, and that tin alteration the governmental calculus successful Washington."

Dubowitz added that Israel’s violative struck not lone subject and atomic targets, but besides Iran’s interior information infrastructure — including authorities media and the regime’s repressive arms. for that, helium said, could unfastened the doorway for aboriginal home unrest. "We can’t expect radical to protestation portion missiles are falling. But if Israel continues striking the regime’s tools of repression, abstraction whitethorn unfastened for Iranians to instrumentality to the streets."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Dubowitz, who has spent 2 decades informing of Iran’s atomic ambitions, reflected connected the infinitesimal with cautious hope. "I’m heartened to spot the agelong limb of Israeli justness scope those liable for specified brutal aggression," helium said. 

"This whitethorn beryllium a historical accidental to genuinely extremity Iran’s atomic threat, and possibly adjacent to enactment the Iranian radical successful reclaiming their future," helium added, "There person been unthinkable achievements, but if Fordow is near lasting by President Donald Trump, past it could extremity up being a Pyrrhic victory."