Israel’s airstrike on Syria is having the salutary effect of focusing the minds of Iran’s mullahs on their own vulnerability, as their statements in the past couple of days about the regime’s military capabilities have been even more grandiose than usual. Two days ago, a regime-affiliated news agency declared that “Iran will shoot at Israel 600 missiles if it is attacked…600 missiles will only be the first reaction.” And today comes an announcement from the deputy commander of the air force that “we have drawn up a plan to strike back at Israel with our bombers if [Israel] makes a silly mistake.”

The Israelis must be having a good laugh at all of this. The only operational Iranian missile that can reach Israel is the Shahab-3, and most estimates place the number those in Iran at under 40 – not to mention the fact that the Shahab-3 failed most of its flight tests. As for bombers, the Iranian air force is so archaic, and the Israeli air force so advanced, that an Iranian bombing mission would go down in history as one of the most absurdly conceived air campaigns in the history of warfare.

Next thing you know the regime is going to say that it “will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults.”