(CNN) Iran says it is ‘entitled’ to defend itself after Israel attacks .

If Iran chooses to continue the cycle of retaliation, it may choose to obtain hostages. With note that the psychological effect of hostages is disproportionate to numbers, one way to obtain them is the SAM trap.

The canonical approach to deep penetration involves:

• Disabling of radars with HARM missiles.  Since the AGM-88 HARM does not currently fit in the  internal weapons bay  of an F-35,  non-stealth aircraft may have been used, a potential vulnerability to the trap.
• Interdiction and destruction of command/control, missile launchers, and aircraft runways with weapons delivered by stealth aircraft.
• Deployment of heavy, short range munitions, such as bunker-busters and glide bombs. The non-stealth F-15E has the maximum ordinance load of Western attack aircraft. The role of the F-35 may include some light penetrators.

The above is subject to modification by advanced technologies. For example, if the precise location of a non-transmitting radar site is known, it can be attacked by other means.

This multi-phase tactic is vulnerable to spoofing. A trap consists of a desirable target, surrounded by defenses that appear to have been neutralized, but are actually operational. Decoys and hidden backups are also used.

The prize: a few Israeli pilots, to serve as a decades-long irritation. Taking hostages  is part of the culture.