Posted on 12/12/2005 5:28:05 PM PST by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran
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.
Iran’s stand-off with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over nuclear inspections and aggressive rhetoric from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, who said last week that Israel should be moved to Europe, are causing mounting concern.
The crisis is set to come to a head in early March, when Mohamed El-Baradei, the head of the IAEA, will present his next report on Iran. El-Baradei, who received the Nobel peace prize yesterday, warned that the world was “losing patience” with Iran.
A senior White House source said the threat of a nuclear Iran was moving to the top of the international agenda and the issue now was: “What next?” That question would have to be answered in the next few months, he said.
Defence sources in Israel believe the end of March to be the “point of no return” after which Iran will have the technical expertise to enrich uranium in sufficient quantities to build a nuclear warhead in two to four years.
“Israel — and not only Israel — cannot accept a nuclear Iran,” Sharon warned recently. “We have the ability to deal with this and we’re making all the necessary preparations to be ready for such a situation.”
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 “G” readiness — the highest stage — 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. “There is no doubt that we have to carry out uranium enrichment,” 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 “massive” Israeli intelligence operation has been underway since Iran was designated the “top priority for 2005”, 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, “it has been understood that the lesson is, don’t have one site, have 50 sites”, 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 Tehran’s nuclear programme for years, according to Israeli military sources.
It is believed Israel would call on its top special forces brigade, Unit 262 — the equivalent of the SAS — and the F-15I strategic 69 Squadron, which can strike Iran and return to Israel without refuelling.
“If we opt for the military strike,” said a source, “it must be not less than 100% successful. It will resemble the destruction of the Egyptian air force in three hours in June 1967.”
Aharon Zeevi Farkash, the Israeli military intelligence chief, stepped up the pressure on Iran this month when he warned Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, that “if by the end of March the international community is unable to refer the Iranian issue to the United Nations security council, then we can say the international effort has run its course”.
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.
“The Iranians’ space programme is a matter of deep concern to us,” said an Israeli defence source. “If and when we launch an attack on several Iranian targets, the last thing we need is Iranian early warning received by satellite.”
Russia last week signed an estimated $1 billion contract — its largest since 2000 — to sell Iran advanced Tor-M1 systems capable of destroying guided missiles and laser-guided bombs from aircraft.
“Once the Iranians get the Tor-M1, it will make our life much more difficult,” said an Israeli air force source. “The installation of this system can be relatively quick and we can’t waste time on this one.”
The date set for possible Israeli strikes on Iran also coincides with Israel’s 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, “then when I form the new Israeli government, we’ll do what we did in the past against Saddam’s reactor, which gave us 20 years of tranquillity”.
TEHRAN MINISTER MET MILITANTS BEFORE NEW OFFENSIVE
Iran’s foreign minister met leading figures from three Islamic militant groups to co-ordinate a united front against Israel days before a recent escalation of attacks against Israeli targets shattered fragile ceasefires with Lebanon and the Palestinians, writes Hugh Macleod in Damascus.
The minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, held talks with leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah in Damascus on November 15.
Among those who attended the meeting were Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader, and a deputy leader of Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for last Monday’s suicide bombing of a shopping mall in Netanya that killed five Israeli citizens.
Ahmed Jibril, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command, was also present. “We all confirmed that what is going on in occupied Palestine is organically connected to what is going on in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Lebanon,” said Jibril.
Seven days after the talks, Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets and mortars at Israeli targets, sparking the fiercest fighting between the two sides since Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon five years ago.
DoctorZIn:
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- Iran Press News reported that the Islamic regime's radio praised Ahmadinejads anti-Semitic comments calling them “accordant with Islamic rule”.
- Iran Press News reported that political prisoner Mehrdad Lohrasbi suffers grave illness in the horrific Rejaiishahr prison.
- Iran Press News reported that the Islamic regime publicly executes a man on International Human Rights Day.
- BBC News reported that a group of Iranian MPs launched an attempt to sack the country's defence minister over the crash of a military plane in Tehran on Tuesday.
- Mark Steyn, Chicago Sun reviewed the international response to Ahamdinejad's recent statements on Israel.
- FOX News reported that Iran offered the United States a share in building a new nuclear power plant.
- Newsweek International reported on the new military capabilities Iran will gain from its billion dollar purchase of Russian weapon systems.
- Servihoo.com reported that Iran's parliament approved President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's fourth nominee for oil minister, the ministry's current caretaker Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh, ending a three-month-old dispute over the key post.
- Dean George, The IndyStar reviewed Ken Timmerman's book: "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran."
- And finally, Reuters reported that the Iranian regime is "shocked" by the international reaction to Ahmadinejad's remarks on Israel.
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Yep. The mullahs better be nervous, very nervous.
Well if I was getting ready to attack someone you wouldn't be reading about it in adavance :-)
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I agree, Why doesn't the media tell the Iranians exactly when Israel is taking off, what routes they will be flying, etc. Jeez !!! This will be a mess !
Methinks sometime next month.
Feed them new info every couple of days. The Iranians will be running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
From King of the Hill:
(Bobby sees a bully picking on a little kid)
Bobby: Leave him alone!
Bully: Back off. This is none of your business.
Bobby: Well, I'm making it my business.
Bully: What are you gonna do? Are you gonna kick me in the nads?
Bobby: Am I gonna do it? Yes. When am I gonna do it? Don't know. Could be tomorrow...now!
(Bobby kicks the bully in the testicles.)
Bobby: One thing you'll find out about me is that I'm not a very patient person.
I suspect that the Israelis are ready to do this tomorrow if necessary and are just giving the lunatics in Iran fair warning. As for Iranian satellites, we've had the ability for years to shoot them down with weapons launched from high flying fighter craft. I would be surprised if the Israelis have not developed a similar capability.
We're still having a friendly battle with Chris Muir's "Day by Day" in the 2005 Weblog Awards (keep the daily votes coming!). We were briefly third overall this weekend until "Achewood" rocketed passed us. But among the toons, "Dilbert" remains the dominant line drawing.
Here are recommendations in a couple of other categories:
For Best Middle East or Africa Blog we like Regime Change Iran.
For Best European Blog (non-UK) we're torn between Davids Medienkritik and No Pasaran.
The reason that we are not "finishing him off" is because our leaders refuse to acknowledge who the real enemy is. Can you say Islam! We're fighting the symptom and not the disease.
Please let me point out that we would be attacking no one. As for the Iraqis, I seriously doubt that they have any ability to know just who is flying through their air space at this time. The lunatics in Iran cannot be allowed to acquire atomic weapons. Do we at least agree on this?
I agree- except for one thing:
It's Israel. They seem to need to warn everyone they are going to raise some backlash.
Just voted for today. Thanks for the daily reminder. :-)
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