Posted on 08/08/2012 10:50:44 PM PDT by tsowellfan
Saudi Arabia will not permit Israeli aircraft to cross its territory on the way to strike Iran, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday. The message was passed to Jerusalem via Obama administration officials during recent talks in Israel.
Senior Israeli officials reportedly see the move as a warning message from the US not to launch a unilateral strike, according to the paper .
Saudi Arabia is supplied with US military equipment and aircraft, and some estimate that if an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities were carried out in cooperation with the US, Saudi Arabia would permit an overflight.
But if Israel acts alone, Riyadh told the US it would intercept any Israeli plane that tried to cross its territory on the way to Iran.
If Israel were to strike Iran, the logistical obstacles are formidable, as the New York Times reported in February. It is estimated that Israel would have to use at least 100 planes to strike Iran’s four main nuclear sites, and travel over 1,000 miles over hostile territory to reach them.
Netanyahu reportedly prefers the US to lead, or at least help in a possible strike on Iran
The closing of Saudi Arabian airspace removes from Israel’s options one potential route to get to Iran, but others exist: north over Turkey, or straight east through Jordan and Iraq. However it is unclear whether those countries would allow Israel to use its airspace as well.
US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, in Israel last week, said that “all options” were on the table for dealing with a potential Iranian nuclear weapon, including the military option.
“If they continue and if they proceed with a nuclear weapon,” he said, “we have options that we are prepared to implement to ensure that that does not happen.”
The US, though, has expended much effort trying to hold Israel back from a unilateral strike, saying there is still time for diplomacy and sanctions to thwart Tehran’s nuclear plans.
We hope they would anyway.
Sure would have been nice if the Obama Administration hadn’t leaked information about Turkey’s cooperation with Israel...
And it would be nice if we had somebody in Iraq who supported the US and her allies...
I hate having this foreign enemy combatant in our White House. Makes it really hard to serve the interests of ourselves and our allies when we’ve got a communist-Islamist saboteur acting as Commander-in-Chief.
Is there a reverse gear on the planes? Muzzies are not known for their bravado when it comes to confronting Israel. The Saudi pilots will be scared to death sh_tless, and will likely eject from their planes the moment Israeli jets turn towards any of the Saudi jets. Just like the Egyptians bolted out & ran away from their tanks in both 1967 and 1973.
1 1/2 billion muzzies against 7 million Jews in Israel, and Israel leaves them quaking in their robes, sandals & ridiculous headgear.
Somebody knows something and ain’t telling? Wonder if Iran already has nukes and a way to deliver them via Russia’s help, and the Saudi’s already know this.?
Let’s not forget that Saudi pilots are best at flying larger planes into stationary targets that are undefended and full of civilians.
I’ve read that the Russians have a couple of carrier groups either close to Iran, or headed there. Is that true? Israel is in trouble if the Russians decide we are going to wimp out and let the chips fall as they may. Russia has some interest in protecting Iran, or at least it’s oil.
Saudi Arabia purchased 84 F-15SA fighter aircraft from the United States in December 2011. ......................................OK, but they forgot to purchase the Israeli pilots to fly them for them.
Wow, didn’t realize the Saudis were THAT stupid.
Exactly.
The Saudis, like all hypocrite Muslim politicians, publicly are against Israel, while privately encourage the to bomb Iran.
They are. But if they outright say so, they’re looking for an Arab spring to sproing right in their face. There’s also the Arab obsession with “face”. Their actual response will resemble No. 2 above, along with a lot of gnashing of teeth, condemning Israeli “aggression” and threats of retaliation that will come to nothing.
Greece is in the opposite direction from Iran, so that would make the flight even longer, and would still require them to fly over either Turkey, Saudi Arabia or Jordan and Iraq - I don't see the benefit to your idea.
Israel needs to develop a carrier fleet or a long range stealth aircraft.
Or do you mean that The House of Saud might use one prince to say one thing, while another equal prince says the opposite?
Perhaps the Saudi National Guard will bring down the aircraft of the Zionists, while the Royal Saudi Army defends them, and the Royal Saudi Air Force remains neutral? The Royal Saudi Navy is in Kuwait for a paint job?
Your cynicism in regard to the word of an esteemed ally is just typical of many Infidels such as yourself. Or perhaps not. We shall pray to Allah The All Wise for guidance and let you know one way or the other tomorrow or the day after, Allah willing.
Bookrah, pa bookrah, Inshallah!
While this putative "attack" is underway, 15 or twenty missiles a day would be on their 15 minute ride to Israel's major population centers. "Attacking Iran" is the 21st Century equivalent of the Allied attack on Germany. It is not some Air Force operation that will be over in a week.
The place to be based for an air attack on Iran is Afghanistan or Turkmenstan, or Azerbaijan. Israel has no bases there. We do. But that could still be a 3,000 mile round trip for some missions in NW Iran. That's work for aerially refueled B-1, B-2, and B 52 squadrons, which Israel does not possess.
Attack Iran? Not bloody likely by anyone because it would be an all-out effort requiring Ground, Air, and Naval Forces, in addition to ICBM's and Cruise Missiles by the hundreds. The Iranian Shiites would be happy to sacrifice a million KIA. We are not.
Are you sure you directed your comment to the right person? Your comments did not even remotely relate to anything I posted.
My comments did not even remotely relate to anything you posted
I do go stupidly ballistic when Iran "war talk" surfaces, because (present company excepted) many FReepers seem to think it's some kind of weekend exercise, when IMO, it's a bit more like WWIII.
Please excuse me .... this time.
*cough*tankers*cough*
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