Ghost Jets on the Runway: Inside Iran’s Elaborate Deception Campaign Against the Israeli Air Force
As Operation Roaring Lion intensifies, a new report reveals Iran's widespread use of fake radar antennas and decoy ballistic missiles. While viral videos claim the IAF was "tricked," military analysts explain why Israel’s precision strikes are still hitting the real mark.
Iran has deployed a range of dummy targets including painted aircraft silhouettes, inflatable planes, helicopters and ballistic missiles in an effort to trick the Israeli Air Force into striking fake targets, according to a detailed report published by the Israeli newspaper Calcalist.
In an article written by its military analyst known as “The Captain,” Calcalist examined widespread social media claims that the Israeli Air Force has been repeatedly fooled during recent strikes inside Iran as part of Operation “Lion’s Roar.”
The report states that Iran prepared several classic deception measures, including:
The aim of these tactics, Calcalist reported, is to force Israel to expend high-value precision munitions on low-cost decoys while keeping genuine fighter jets, helicopters and missile systems protected underground or in dispersed locations.
Calcalist directly addressed the large number of viral videos circulating online that claim Iran has successfully deceived the IAF. The analysis acknowledges that some strikes did hit inflatable decoys, but states that many of the widely shared clips are either old footage, AI-generated images, or misidentified targets. The report specifically notes that the well-known strike on an MI-17 helicopter was on a real aircraft.
According to Calcalist, while Iran’s deception efforts have created significant confusion and discussion on social media, they have not resulted in a major tactical success against Israeli operations.