My apologies ahead of time for even asking the following but this story of the supposed Israeli F-35 'Adir' incursion into Iranian airspace subsequently circling around multiple different Iranian cities whilst never even being seen, comes around every so often and I usually dismiss it as low-ball propaganda. But I wondered if maybe you can give us a more detailed explanation as to why such a scenario is just not feasible (at least this is what I think to be case).
Link to article:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...5-stealth-fighters-had-violated-iran-airspace
The good thing about fighter jets are their vast tactical uses, more so in non high-intensity was scenarios.
Israeli F-15 used U.S IIF codes to be mistaken as USAF F-15s and attacked from a totally unexpected vector.
Israeli special mission drones operated form Azerbaijan.
So the biggest issue, the range limitation, of the F-35 could have been solved via a disguised in flight refueling or cooperation from Irans enemies (USAF tanker, Saudi tanker, Bahrain or Azerbaijan airbases, airliner IIF codes)
That's the tactical toolbox they can play with.
From Irans side there are also limitations: If the IADS is not in alarm state of an incoming conflict, many of its assets will not be active. Emission control (to keep system signature, capability and position secret) and MTBF issues with especially gap fillers will keep them off, in situations like today's tension level.
Hence the IADS operates at around 25% of its nominal capability.
Knowing this another tool is created for the Israelis: If they know which systems are off and carefully study the terrain, they can use masking and radar horizon effects to plan a flight profile that avoids Irans IADS assets to its best and allows higher level flight, where possible, to increase range performance.
Ok, so this is the situation. Such a situation lead a small prop aircraft to intrude into highly dense Soviet airspace and land in Moscow at the end of the cold war. Back then Soviet IADS was at an impressively high state, their terrain was almost flat (almost no terrain masking possible), and the prop aircraft had no intel on best possible flight path. They eventually detected it and has issues with justifying a shot down of a civilian aircraft but the PR damage to their capability was done.
So this is the situation.
If I'm asked, I would say yes it is possible if the Israelis did their best use of all those tactics.
Would it be possible above Tehran, Shiraz and Esfahan? A clear no.
Would it have any added value which space based assets would not provide? Doubtful.
Would it be a representative display of Irans war-sate IADS capability? Absolutely not.
Would it create a psychological effect on IADS professionals? No. On amateurs? Likely.
Would it be possible if Irans next generation OTHR assets become available? Almost impossible.
Do I think Israelis are confident and brave enough to risk such a operation? I doubt that: Many Iranian IADS capabilities are unknown, sudden appearance of a mobile system somewhere or non-Radar IR assets, all could lead to a catastrophic end.
Clean F-35 stealth performance is simply not good enough, neither its range/speed performance to make such a mission justifiably robust. But maybe they had excellent planning´, excellent intel, support from Irans enemies, very brave/PR-blinded pilots and ready to risk it.
So I don't exclude it on regions around Irans periphery.