Middle East & Africa | Iran’s defensive tactics

How Iran covered up the damage from Israel’s strikes

New images shared with The Economist show how a swap helped calm a crisis

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's nuclear site in Isfahan, Iran, April 4, 2024. Iran fired air defe
Photograph: AP

When Iran and Israel exchanged drone and missile strikes earlier this month, the world was braced for a fully-fledged war in the Middle East. In the end both sides, having violently made their point, let matters rest. New satellite images now show how Iran saved face and backed down: it simply swapped one destroyed air-defence radar for a fresh one.

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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Now you see it”

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From the April 27th 2024 edition

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