Iran Nuclear Site Strike, US Missiles to Ukraine

Tech spotlight: the Switchblade

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — NOV 18 2024

Today’s email brings you news from Israel and Ukraine.

1 - ISRAEL

1 thing to know

Israel revealed that it destroyed a top-secret nuclear weapons research facility in Iran during strikes on October 25, 2024. 

The context 

The attack targeted the Taleghan 2 facility within Iran's Parchin military complex, completely destroying sophisticated equipment used to design plastic explosives necessary for nuclear weapons detonation.

The strike came as retaliation for Iran's missile attack on Israel on October 1. While President Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu not to target Iran's declared nuclear facilities to avoid triggering a war, the Taleghan 2 site was not part of Iran's officially declared program. 

This gave Israel a strategic advantage: Iran couldn't acknowledge the damage without admitting to violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israeli officials say the destroyed equipment represents a critical "bottleneck" in Iran's nuclear capabilities that will be difficult to replace without detection.

More from the region

Israel continues its military operations in Lebanon, with fresh airstrikes hitting Beirut on November 15. A high-rise building near the busy Tayouneh junction was destroyed after Israel warned residents to evacuate structures near suspected Hezbollah facilities. 

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: THE SWITCHBLADE

The Switchblade, made by American company AeroVironment, is a portable drone that destroys its target by crashing into it with an explosive warhead. Its wings fold so it can fit inside a tube (hence the name "Switchblade”). When launched, the wings flip out into position. 

There are two versions. The smaller, more portable 300 model can fly for about 15 minutes and reach targets up to 6 miles away, while the larger 600 model can stay airborne for 40 minutes and hit larger targets up to 25 miles away.

If the operator spots civilians near the target, the Switchblade’s “wave-off” capability allows an operator to abort the mission right up until the last few seconds. 

What it’s used for

The Switchblade was originally designed to help U.S. troops in Afghanistan respond quickly to ambushes. Instead of waiting for air support to arrive, soldiers could pull out a Switchblade and handle the threat themselves. 

Today, it's used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and has seen significant action in Ukraine following Russia's invasion.

2 - UKRAINE

1 thing to know

The US has granted Ukraine permission to use long range missiles inside select areas of Russian territory.

The context 

In a reversal of previous US policy, President Joe Biden authorized the use of US long-range weapons to strike targets in Kursk Oblast in response to the 10,000 North Korean troops that are being deployed to the region. It is expected that further restrictions could also be lifted, allowing Ukraine to strike other targets even further into Russia.  Following the US, both the UK and France have also lifted restrictions on their long-range weaponry, also allowing it to be used against targets inside Russian territory. 

More from the region

The Russian push to take the town of Pokrovsk is still continuing, with the Russian army now attempting new tactics after failing to capture the town after eight months via frontal assault. They are now utilizing two simultaneous attacks with Pokrovsk as the direct goal, instead of wasting manpower in western Donetsk Oblast on less strategically important gains. Ukrainian defenses have so far been extremely effective in holding the region so far, and their use of drones against Russian vehicles have reduced the attackers to advances to basically foot-pace.

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— E and S at The War Newsletter

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