The strike aimed to show Iran that Israel could cripple its defenses

An Israeli airstrike on Iran on Friday damaged an air defense system, Western and Iranian officials said, and appeared calculated to send a message that Israel could circumvent defensive systems Iranians without being detected and paralyzing them.

The strike damaged a defensive battery near Natanz, a city in central Iran that is key to the country's nuclear weapons program, officials said.

Even though the Israeli attack was in retaliation for last week's Iranian air barrage, it used only a fraction of the firepower deployed by Tehran . This attack, intercepted by Israel and its allies, caused minimal damage.

Friday's strike was the latest salvo in a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the two. countries this month that have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict. The relatively limited scope of the Israeli strike and the discreet response of Iranian officials, however, appear to have eased tensions.

Both Iranian officials said Friday's strike had damaged an S-300 anti-aircraft system on a military base in the neighboring province of Isfahan. The officials' account is supported by satellite images analyzed by The New York Times, which show damage to the radar of an S-300 system at the Eighth Shekari Air Base in Isfahan.

It is unclear exactly what type of weapon struck the Iranian air defense system. Three Western and two Iranian officials confirmed Friday that Israel had deployed aerial drones and at least one missile fired from a warplane. Earlier, Iranian officials said the attack on the military base was carried out by small drones, most likely launched from inside Iranian territory.

We have having trouble retrieving article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we check access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit and sign in to your Times account, or subscribe to the entire Times.

Thank you for your patience while we let's check access.

Already subscribed?