February
25th 2007
Sneh
attributed it to sources “unwilling to accept
responsibility for diplomatic inaction on Iran’s weapons
program. They find it convenient to roll the ball into
Israel’s court,” he said.
The
British paper’s Tel Aviv correspondent Con Coughlin
quoted a senior Israeli defense official as saying that
negotiations are underway for the US-led coalition in
Iraq to provide an air corridor in the event of the
Israeli government deciding on unilateral military
action to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons.
The
reporter takes this as evidence that Israel’s military
establishment “is moving on to a war footing with
preparations now well under way for air strikes against
Tehran if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the
crisis.”
According to the Telegraph, for surgical air strikes,
Israeli war planes would need to fly across Iraq. “If we
don’t sort these issues out now we could have a
situation where American and Israeli war planes start
shooting at each other,” said the Israel defense
official, who asked not to be named.
DEBKAfile’s
sources suggest some of these frank revelations may have
been meant to mislead the opposition. A surgical strike
by Israeli war planes transiting Iraq is not the only
plan up Israel’s sleeve for taking out Iran’s nuclear
installations.
The
paper reports that a special strategic committee has
been set up to deal with the Iran threat chaired by
prime minister Ehud Olmert. On the military side, Air
Force commander Eliezer Shkedi is in charge of the Iran
Command. While “the urgency that is driving the Israeli
government’s activity” is demonstrated by the postponed
retirement of Mossad head Meir Dagan until the end of
2008.
Regarding the Arrow anti-missile defense system,
successfully test-fired this month, the London paper
quotes an Israeli military officer as explaining:” There
is no point in shooting down a nuclear missile once it’s
over Israel – the devastation would be just the same.
The idea is to take it out long before it hits Israel.”
But then
widespread devastation would potentially be caused Iraq
or Jordan.
The
Israeli officer remarked: “No one has done much thinking
about what might happen if you exploded a nuclear weapon
the upper atmosphere.”
(DEBKAfile:
This statement is wide of the mark. For years, the
armies of the worlds have been researching this
question.)
The
difficulties facing an Israeli attack, according to the
Telegraph, include the scattering of Iran’s nuclear
resources around the country and the interment of the
Natanz uranium enrichment complex in bomb-proof bunkers
that would require “high-precision, bunker-busting bombs
to influence serious damage.”
Another
is the recently arrived Russian-made Tor M1
anti-aircraft missile, whose delivery DEBKAfile
revealed on November 25 2006 and whose ability to
intercept aircraft and missiles, including cruise
missiles, was reported at the time.
Finally,
the Telegraph’s Tel Aviv correspondent discusses the
controversy between Israel and Western powers over how
long before Iran produces enough fissile material for a
nuclear warhead. Israel’s estimate is two years hence in
2009, while the West reckons on five or even 10 years.
The
Israeli security official told the London paper that
Israeli hopes the problem can be solved diplomatically,
but added: “No one is going to take the Iranian threat
seriously until the State of Israel can demonstrate to
the outside world that we have the ability to deal with
this menace on our own.”
Story
from:
http://www.debka.com/ with thanks
