Hardline political analyst Sadegh Koushki said on Iranian state television that Iran’s political leadership blocked retaliation while the country’s deterrence continued to erode.

His remarks included the following claims:

  • Israel struck a drone base in Kermanshah, while state television news attributed the incident to “lightning.”
  • Repeated Israeli strikes on sensitive facilities and key sites went unreported and received no response.
  • Israel killed 32 senior commanders in Syria after October 7, with practically no response.
  • Iran’s response to the strike on the Damascus diplomatic compound failed to restore deterrence because it inflicted no Israeli casualties.

Behnam Gholipour, whose post was quoted by Shin, characterized Koushki’s television appearance as follows:

Koushki’s nice admissions on television: Israel strikes with missiles and drones, but we say it was thunder and lightning :)