 | Hat tip to Ace for the article. |
Israel Air Force aircraft dropped off large quantities of military gear at a Saudi Arabian military base a week ago, in preparation for a potential attack on Iran, a number of Iranian and Israeli news outlets have reported.
| Before you ask, the IDF and the Saoodis each had no comment. So there. |
The unconfirmed report, first published by the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars and the Islam Times Web site, claimed that on June 18 and 19, Israeli helicopters unloaded military equipment and built a base just over 8 km. outside the northwestern city of Tabuk, the closest Saudi city to Israel, located just south of Jordan. All civilian flights into and out of the city were said to have been canceled during the Israeli drop-off, and passengers were reportedly compensated by the Saudi authorities and accommodated in nearby hotels.
| That makes no sense. Israel, if it had a super-secret deal with the curator of the two holy spots, would be putting its people and stuff in the emptiest part of the Empty Quarter, and not anywhere near where anyone would see it. That's not just to make sure the furriners don't see it, it's especially to ensure that the various holy men don't see it. |
The claim follows a report two weeks ago in the London Times Magazine that Saudi Arabia had given Israel permission to fly through a narrow corridor of airspace in northern Saudi Arabia so as to shorten the flight time required for Israeli jets to reach Iran. The Times said that Saudi Arabia had adjusted its missile defense systems to ensure that Israeli jets are not shot down while passing through Saudi airspace on the way to an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
| That article never clarified if the Israeli pilots would get the same courtesy on the return leg of the trip ... |
Citing an anonymous American defense official, the report claimed that Mossad director Meir Dagan had been in contact with Saudi officials and briefed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the plans.
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