Don't know how GOOD the relationship btw Israel and Iran is.
Any thought?
Also, not only Israel is in this issue, how about USA?
Would USA attack Iran CIA found out Iran does have Nuke facility?
(Well CIA sucks too much, they didn't know India was going to test nukes)
This message has been edited by HBN2025 on Apr 25, 2004 5:11 PM
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Is Shahab 3 loaded with Nukes? Otherwise cannot bring too much damage to Israel, and if Israel is attacked she maybe get mad and wipe out Iran from Earth with her 600 nukes.
I once heard about Israel bombed whose nuke facility? Iraqi's?
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
The Iranian Shahab-3 ballistic missile means Meteor-3 or Shooting Star-3 in Farsi [alternatively designated Zelzal (Earthquake)] is derived from the 1,300-1,500 kilometer range North Korean No-dong missile. The Shahab-3 reportedly has a range of between 1,300 and 1,500 kilometers and is capable of carrying a 1,000-760 kilogram warhead.
1,500 kilometers is awesome, but I doubt how much damage will the load of 1,000 KG bring to the enemy I really don't think too much.
Yes I did hear Israel is planning some attack on Iran about the Nuke issue, I found this article, that's why I posted the Topic Question.
=========
Israel: Iran is now danger No. 1
US, Britain, France, and Germany threatened Iran on Monday with sanctions over its nuclear program.
By Nicole Gaouette | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
JERUSALEM – Even as the US and European nations press Iran harder to comply with international law on its nuclear program, Israel is moving ahead with its own program to check its powerful Middle Eastern neighbor.
Israel is working on a wide range of measures to undermine Iran's nuclear program, with senior leaders hinting that Israel may take preemptive action if that is deemed necessary. Analysts here suggest that action may include a strike similar to Israel's 1981 attack on Iraq's Osirak reactor.
The Israeli initiative includes political, military, and intelligence wings of government and dovetails with US efforts to contain Iran within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The effort reflects the widespread assessment here that Iran poses a greater threat than Iraq has for the past decade and is gaining nuclear expertise more quickly than the US estimates.
"Iran has a clandestine [nuclear] program that is very ambitious," says Uzi Arad, director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Herzilya. "That country thinks big and fast and ... poses a threat that is very real. Should it acquire nuclear weapons or even come close, it would completely alter the Middle East. It's a very ominous threat."
Analysts here argue that the prospect of a nuclear Iran would:
• Threaten Israeli, US, and European security.
*• Harden Arab positions in any future peace negotiations.
• Increase militancy and embolden hard-liners.
• Destabilize the Gulf area.
• And encourage other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Libya, to follow suit.
History of Iranian concealment
The US, Britain, France, and Germany say that Iran has been concealing nuclear research for the past 18 years in pursuit of nuclear weapons, despite signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970.
On Monday, the four nations agreed on a strongly worded IAEA resolution promoted by the US that threatens the possibility of UN sanctions should Iran continue to violate its agreements.
The US charges that Iran is also developing chemical and biological weapons, though the country is party to conventions curbing them. Furthermore, both the US and Israel say that Iran is trying to extend the range of its missiles, which could be used to develop such weapons.
Already, the 810-mile reach of Iran's Shahab-3 missile puts Israel and US forces in the region in striking range. The US charges that Iran will probably try to develop missiles capable of hitting Western Europe or the US itself.
Iran has admitted to concealing aspects of its atomic energy program, but says it is pursuing alternate energy sources, a claim the State Department dismissed as "simply not credible."
In testimony to the US-Israeli Joint Parliamentary Committee in September, State Department official Paula DeSutter said, "The impact of a nuclear-armed Iran in an already volatile region cannot be underestimated. As President Bush had made clear, that cannot be allowed to happen."
Israeli officials have echoed that declaration. In November, Israeli media reported that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, on a trip to Washington, told US officials that "under no circumstances would Israel be able to abide by nuclear weapons in Iranian possession."
'Existential threat' to Israel?
Meir Dagan, director of Israel's external intelligence agency, the Mossad, told a parliamentary committee this month that Iran posed an "existential threat" to Israel, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. He reportedly assured committee members that Israel could deal with this threat.
Like the US, Israel estimates that Iran is three to four years away from building a nuclear bomb. But Israel believes that in 2004, Iran will reach the point at which their nuclear program cannot be stopped.
On the same US trip, Mr. Mofaz told a pro-Israeli lobby group that a nuclear Iran was "intolerable."
"The implicit message of his statements was that if the Iranian nuclear program is not stopped in the next number of months, Israel will have to take action of its own - perhaps even to attack - to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into Iranian hands," analyst Amir Rappaport wrote in the Ma'ariv newspaper.
It would not be the first time Israel has taken preemptive action against a perceived threat. In 1981, Israeli fighter jets launched a successful surprise attack on Iraq's Osirak reactor, destroying it.
A push against Iran on all fronts
In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has upgraded Israel's efforts against Iran's nuclear program by putting all related committees under Mr. Dagan's command. Mr. Sharon himself will head a ministerial committee.
In this multipronged effort, Israel's foreign ministry will launch a diplomatic campaign to persuade other countries to work against Iran's nuclear program. The Mossad will work with foreign intelligence agencies, the National Security Council will work with the US-Israeli Joint Committee, and Israel's atomic energy body will focus on technical aspects of Iran's program and work with the IAEA.
Israel's concern about Iran stems from the country's proximity, its longstanding hostility to Israel, and its support for groups like Lebanese Hizbullah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad.
While these groups launch attacks on Israel and its citizens with Iranian support, some analysts here say there remains the potential for direct confrontation between the nations of Iran and Israel.
Zeev Maghen, a senior research associate at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv who studies Iran, disagrees, but he acknowledges, "The amount of hostility that has built up in the world in general, and the Islamic world in particular, against my country might push someone over the edge."
"We're the pariah country," Mr. Maghen adds.
A nuclear Iran would also erode Israel's strategic edge. Israel's military, the world's 14th largest by budget, according to the Center for Defense Information, is vastly superior to any of its Middle East counterparts. Israel is also widely understood to have an arsenal of nuclear and other weapons, though officials deny this. It is not a signatory to the NPT.
"Israel has kept an ambiguous posture about this," says Mr. Arad, "but clearly, should Iran become nuclear, it would clearly be an adverse development. The country supports terrorism, has taken a militant line against the peace process, is hostile to the US, and is active in anti-American attacks [in Iraq]. It clearly poses a very serious threat to everybody."
This message has been edited by HBN2025 on Apr 25, 2004 5:17 PM
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Israel has made plans to bomb an Iranian nuclear power plant if it begins producing weapons grade material, it was reported today.
Military commanders have mapped out a route Israeli fighter jets would take to destroy the Bushehr reactor on the Persian Gulf, officials told the Washington Times.
Russia has been helping Iran to build its first nuclear plant for eight years in a deal worth about £500 million to Moscow.
Both countries say it is purely for civilian purposes.
But the US claims Iran could use the technology to build a nuclear bomb, and President George Bush is expected raise the issue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at next month's Camp David summit.
Russia said this week it would stop building the plant if the UN nuclear watchdog presents "concrete evidence" that Tehran is secretly developing banned weapons.
Iran has tested 600-mile-range ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and carry nuclear, biological or chemical warheads.
In 1981, Israel bombed the Iraqi Osiraq nuclear-power plant, near Baghdad, in an operation that drew widespread international criticism.
Would Israel attack Iran if Iran tested a Nuke?
I would say it would be a little bit to late, besides, Israel only attacks stone throwers, not people that would give it more than a bloody nose.
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
"Would Israel attack Iran if Iran tested a Nuke?
I would say it would be a little bit to late, besides, Israel only attacks stone throwers, not people that would give it more than a bloody nose."
LOL, well said, it's funny cause it's true!
You have to think to your self would the Israelis really be telling the
World that they are going to attack and get Iran to be alert, if they
really intended to attack??
This is all just sabre rattling; Israel simply doesn't have the capacity
to launch a strike against Iran! If we only look at the distance that their planes would have to travel, we would see that if the planes were to travel in a straight line, which they won't, the distance would be 1500 km each way, and that's just to the boarder. If they want to come to the centre of Iran, where the facilities are stationed at, they will have to travel for some thing like another 700 km on top of that! How many planes does Israel have that can travel 5000 km minimum?? Also, todays Iran is not like the 1980s Iraq! Iran's air defences and its national radar are very advanced, and the nuclear facilities are particularly well defended.
Also, Iran doesn't just have one nuclear facility like Iraq did, there are many, and the most important ones are built under ground! Also, Iran has the technology to produce its nuclear requirements, as it's doing now, if they get destroyed, they will simply build them again from scratch and protect them better.
Also, Iran has the capacity to retaliate, an eye for an eye, a nuclear facility for a nuclear facility! The one-ton warhead on a Shahab 3 will do a hell of a lot of damage, depending on what type of explosive it is carrying, but even if it were home made explosives, one ton would devastate large areas!
There is just no way that Israel can do any thing except give allot of empty threats and run to Washington to cry!
“THE WORLD IS A BRIDGE, CROSS IT, BUT BUILD
NO HOUSE UPON IT!”
CHURCHILL: "If Hitler invaded Hell, I would at least make a favourable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons"
Donald Rumsfeld: "There are known knowns…are there are known unknowns. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know"
CIA agent Geoffrey Kemp talking about Saddam Hussein:
“WE KNEW HE WAS A SON OF A BITCH, BUT HE WAS OUR SON OF A BITCH”
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
the only thing Israel can do with Iran is to start crying to U.S ....
I dont think anyone can do anything to Iran right now...They are not Iraq and at this point even US can not afford anything since americans are getting killed every day in Iraq...it could have been a suicide mission...
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Israel could base its warplanes in Iraq (since it is occupied by the USA now,) so I don't think range would be a problem. But then what would be Washington's reaction when the Tehran decides to openly arm the Shias in Iraq with heavy weapons, or worse yet (for Washington) send in the Iranian army.
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
