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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran |
| 2005-12-11 |
| Israel's armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed. The order came after Israeli intelligence warned the government that Iran was operating enrichment facilities, believed to be small and concealed in civilian locations. Defence sources in Israel believe the end of March to be the âpoint of no returnâ after which Iran will have the technical expertise to enrich uranium in sufficient quantities to build a nuclear warhead in two to four years. The order to prepare for a possible attack went through the Israeli defence ministry to the chief of staff. Sources inside special forces command confirmed that âGâ readiness â the highest stage â for an operation was announced last week. Gholamreza Aghazadeah, head of the Atomic Organisation of Iran, warned yesterday that his country would produce nuclear fuel. âThere is no doubt that we have to carry out uranium enrichment,â he said. He promised it would not be done during forthcoming talks with European negotiators. But although Iran insists it wants only nuclear energy, Israeli intelligence has concluded it is deceiving the world and has no intention of giving up what it believes is its right to develop nuclear weapons. A âmassiveâ Israeli intelligence operation has been underway since Iran was designated the âtop priority for 2005â, according to security sources. Cross-border operations and signal intelligence from a base established by the Israelis in northern Iraq are said to have identified a number of Iranian uranium enrichment sites unknown to the the IAEA. Since Israel destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981, âit has been understood that the lesson is, donât have one site, have 50 sitesâ, a White House source said. If a military operation is approved, Israel will use air and ground forces against several nuclear targets in the hope of stalling Tehranâs nuclear programme for years, according to Israeli military sources. It is believed Israel would call on its top special forces brigade, Unit 262 â the equivalent of the SAS â and the F-15I strategic 69 Squadron, which can strike Iran and return to Israel without refuelling. âIf we opt for the military strike,â said a source, âit must be not less than 100% successful. It will resemble the destruction of the Egyptian air force in three hours in June 1967.â The March deadline set for military readiness also stems from fears that Iran is improving its own intelligence-gathering capability. In October it launched its first satellite, the Sinah-1, which was carried by a Russian space launcher. âThe Iraniansâ space programme is a matter of deep concern to us,â said an Israeli defence source. âIf and when we launch an attack on several Iranian targets, the last thing we need is Iranian early warning received by satellite.â Russia last week signed an estimated $1 billion contract â its largest since 2000 â to sell Iran advanced Tor-M1 systems capable of destroying guided missiles and laser-guided bombs from aircraft. âOnce the Iranians get the Tor-M1, it will make our life much more difficult,â said an Israeli air force source. âThe installation of this system can be relatively quick and we canât waste time on this one.â The date set for possible Israeli strikes on Iran also coincides with Israelâs general election on March 28, prompting speculation that Sharon may be sabre-rattling for votes. Benjamin Netanyahu, the frontrunner to lead Likud into the elections, said that if Sharon did not act against Iran, âthen when I form the new Israeli government, weâll do what we did in the past against Saddamâs reactor, which gave us 20 years of tranquillityâ. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #14 Trent Telenko had a couple of good posts on this at Winds, and the following discussions were also very informative. Here and here. |
| Posted by: Rory B. Bellows 2005-12-11 23:26 |
| #13 Sooner makes more sense. Much sooner if they go based on scuttlebutt from open sources. Better to not discuss timing and reasons for it, do not help the enemy. Cogent gathering of open data on terrain, weather, guesstimates of raid target locations, weapon delivery and SpecOps insertion capabilities, etc, will yield a window. Add in US troop levels (to counter unrest that will follow), cyclical readiness in Iran, religious holiday impacts (on Jews and Muslims), and you come up with a pretty solid sense of when and where, if you take the how and why into account. Think like a military strategists, not a politician or news reporter. Oil prices alone will be a huge hit. This will heat things up in Iraq. Iran could splinter - but likely will reinforce the Mullah's hand, given the opponent, which woudl encourage them to fund more terror and excursions into surrounding areas (meaning we may be forced to invade to ultimately clear the situation up) Button up, its going to be a very bumpy ride. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2005-12-11 23:07 |
| #12 This article is PSYOPS. The attack will be done earlier than March, sez my $20 bill to Fred. The IDF wants to make the MMs paranoid as possible. Existential paranoia, that is. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-12-11 16:55 |
| #11 even better: Israel Denies Plans To Attack Iran so, I'm sure you're right....bet still on? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-11 16:53 |
| #10 April. |
| Posted by: Angoth Ebboluting7286 2005-12-11 16:43 |
| #9 mr. skeptical - self-defense is a primary life force - I'll bet you $20 ....by June those facilities are inop...payable to Fred |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-11 16:34 |
| #8 "...possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed... sources in Israel believe... Sources inside special forces command...according to security sources...a White House source said...according to Israeli military sources...It is believed... said a source...stems from fears...said an Israeli defence source... said an Israeli air force source...date set for possible...prompting speculation..." Proof Positive. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2005-12-11 16:18 |
| #7 Spot on, TW. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-12-11 15:32 |
| #6 they describe the last 20 years in Israel as Tranquil, hmmmmm.... bk, dear, the last twenty years have been a lot more tranquil in Israel than they would have been had Saddam Hussein built and used the nukes he was working toward at the time Osirak was destroyed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-12-11 14:33 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-12-11 11:55 |
| #4 âthen when I form the new Israeli government, weâll do what we did in the past against Saddamâs reactor, which gave us 20 years of tranquillityâ. they describe the last 20 years in Israel as Tranquil, hmmmmm.... |
| Posted by: bk 2005-12-11 11:09 |
| #3 TbyF, I agree, I love their spirit. I only wish that our country backed our military as much. I've often wondered if we should have our young people go into the service for a few years after school. It wouldn't have to all be in a fighting capacity, some could be on the homefront helping out where needed. I think this would also help give our kids more direction and focus in life. It would certainly teach them to honor and serve our country. |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-12-11 09:41 |
| #2 âIf we opt for the military strike,â said a source, âit must be not less than 100% successful. It will resemble the destruction of the Egyptian air force in three hours in June 1967.â Not sure 100% is possible, but I like the spirit! ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2005-12-11 03:46 |
| #1 This is kind of like targeting radar isn't it? Flick it on and the potential targets will just light up and reveal themselves. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2005-12-11 00:10 |