Interesting commentary from 13 years ago about Israel vs Iran ... possibly applies today?
(OK, did a little digging, he tends to be a contributor to the Telegraph, leans more conservative in the UK)
Originally Posted by USA Today
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump threatened Iran's supreme leader as he pushed Tehran to end its retaliatory airstrikes on Israel and warned against any threats to U.S. service members in the region.
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He is an easy target, but is safe there."
"We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," the president said on June 17. "But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin." There was no immediate response from the Iranian government.
The Reality TV show continues.
As to the Iranian Air Force:
In recent days, Iranian media claimed that Israeli pilots were shot down or captured, and that dogfights had taken place.
“It’s funny—of course that didn’t happen,” says Maj N “Every pilot dreams of downing an enemy aircraft, and we were ready for that. But during the opening wave, when we entered Iranian airspace, we saw their pilots take off—and then flee. They flew inward, toward central Iran, literally running away from us and disappearing.”
34 years ago, didn't a bunch of Iraqi pilots fly to Iran to avoid the Coalition (Desert Storm)?
Self preservation is a thing.