Posted on 04/25/2008 5:21:42 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
The reasons are twofold. When the Israelis first became concerned about the North Koreans' activities in Syria last summer, the Americans were negotiating a delicate deal to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programme in return for a relaxation of the trade sanctions that have crippled the North Korean economy. Had the Israelis gone public with the intelligence that the North Koreans were actively helping Syria to acquire nuclear technology, it might seriously have undermined Washington's diplomatic efforts. If the Americans want to expose North Korea's links to Damascus, that is their affair. For their part, the Israelis are happy to keep schtum.
The other reason the Israelis want to take a back seat is that they are keen not to reveal too much detail about the technical aspects of the air strike, which is regarded as the most sophisticated operation by the Israeli air force since Osirak. To carry out the attack undetected, the fighter-bombers had to be fitted with equipment that extended their bombing range, while the pilots also had to contend with the challenge of penetrating Syria's state-of-the-art, Russian-built air defence systems. The mission was so successful that the first that the Syrians knew of the attack was when their Turkish neighbours reported that the bombers had returned safely to their base in northern Israel.
The last thing the Israelis want is for the tactical details of their audacious raid to become public, particularly as they may need to use the same techniques again in the not-too-distant future. According to Hayden's closed-door briefing to Congress, last September's raid succeeded in destroying the Syrian facility long before a nuclear reactor could be assembled.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Which means the Russkie Air Defense Systems sold to Iran are so much scrap. No wonder the Israeli Air Force Chief as much as said “Iran - no problem”.
Russia’s “state of the art” defense systems exposed as junk by U.S. standards is probably what has the democrats and their commie allies around the globe so pissed off about Israel this time.
Wow. Looking at those before and after photos, not only did the Israeli aircraft destroy the site, they also cleared the rubble and bulldozed it.
What a sweet day that would be
Vaporized things don't need much bulldozing - and the twin towers were not destroyed by US either
There.
Fixed it for ya.
I am schtuming, she is schtuming, we have schtumed...I think I got.
You need to take a closer look at the photos, and compare them to some aerials of Ground Zero (if you prefer).
Your thin allusion to hoax is slimy - oh, and ignorant
in return for a relaxation of the trade sanctions that have crippled the North Korean economy...
This is an absurd statement. The NK economy was destroyed before a single sanction was imposed. Just look at the map of the earth at night and how little lighting there is in NK. No socialism/communism has destroyed the NK economy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/978043.html
Mohammed ElBaradei is whining that the IAEA was not informed...Duhhh! We didn’t want the IAEA to warn the Syrians!
Schtumy, but they made a schmeer out of those schmucks!
I would think that the site blowing up might have been their first clue.
I’m alluding to a hoax? Lay off the sauce, you drunk, it’s still early.
Any possibility it was booty from Iraq that led to the radiation levels as some in internet land have proclaimed?
I guess I should have read ALL the replies.
I think the real reason for the particular timing of the attack was that the Chinese were about to break ground on a refinery project nearby that site. To wait any longer might risk a serious international incident involving the death of Chinese nationals. No doubt the Syrians, N Koreans and Chinese collaborated on this refinery “shield” defense.
Otherwise, as with the Osirak reactor in Iraq, the attack would have made more sense to wait for the nuclear facility to be further along before destroying it, assuming the air defenses were already in place.
No leaks from the briefing yesterday...I thought for sure someone would run to their favorite NY Times reporter and spill the beans...:-)
“No leaks from the briefing yesterday...I thought for sure someone would run to their favorite NY Times reporter and spill the beans...:-)”
Maybe the Israelies would have an answer to that, too. Imagine NY Slime “journalist”/operative getting knocked off by an Israeli intelligence officer just to make a point. The RATS would hyper-ventilate.
Schure.
Re your scenario about a NYT reporter being knocked off by Mossad, that would make a good script for a movie. File it under “Non-fiction”.
I nominate Sy Hersh. Anyone want to add to this list?
The Old Gray Lady should be called the Old Red Lady since its editor hates America. And the feeling is mutual.
Really? What did Syria and NK say in response?
Saving it for the Sunday papers.
Very interesting....
bump
That's the new Caterpillar bomb we sold them last year. It's yellow and has a bulldozer blade in front.
the first that the Syrians knew of the attack was when their Turkish neighbours reported that the bombers had returned safely to their base in northern Israel.
I think that's a good description for a successful military operation! Just short of perfect. The only crowning moment would have been if Israel never even acknowledged that they did the raid... "Who, us?"
Mark
To carry out the attack undetected, the fighter-bombers had to be fitted with equipment that extended their bombing range, while the pilots also had to contend with the challenge of penetrating Syria's state-of-the-art, Russian-built air defence systems. The mission was so successful that the first that the Syrians knew of the attack was when their Turkish neighbours reported that the bombers had returned safely to their base in northern Israel. The last thing the Israelis want is for the tactical details of their audacious raid to become public, particularly as they may need to use the same techniques again in the not-too-distant future.[phone rings in Damascus] "Hello, Asshat? Oh, sorry, Assad? Israel's bombing raid on your 'top secret' nuclear weapons plant was a success, and all their planes have returned to their base." [click]
Thanks Ernest.
Syrian envoy says CIA fabricated evidence
(Regarding the Al Kibar Building)
AP | April 25, 2008 | PAMELA HESS
Posted on 04/25/2008 11:11:41 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007226/posts
US military reports relative lull in Baghdad’s Sadr City
AP | April 26, 2008 2 hours ago | SELCAN HACAOGLU
Posted on 04/26/2008 8:33:11 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007338/posts
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