Operation Samson(Israel's Deployment of Nuclear Missiles on Subs from Germany)

Many have wondered for years about the exact capabilities of the submarines Germany exports to Israel. Now, experts in Germany and Israel have confirmed that nuclear-tipped missiles have been deployed on the vessels. And the German government has long known about it. By SPIEGEL

The pride of the Israeli navy is rocking gently in the swells of the Mediterranean, with the silhouette of the Carmel mountain range reflected on the water's surface. To reach the Tekumah, you have to walk across a wooden jetty at the pier in the port of Haifa, and then climb into a tunnel shaft leading to the submarine's interior. The navy officer in charge of visitors, a brawny man in his 40s with his eyes hidden behind a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, bounces down the steps. When he reaches the lower deck, he turns around and says: "Welcome on board the Tekumah. Welcome to my toy."

He pushes back a bolt and opens the refrigerator, revealing zucchini, a pallet of yoghurt cups and a two-liter bottle of low-calorie cola. The Tekumah has just returned from a secret mission in the early morning hours.

The navy officer, whose name the military censorship office wants to keep secret, leads the visitors past a pair of bunks and along a steel frame. The air smells stale, not unlike the air in the living room of an apartment occupied solely by men. At the middle of the ship, the corridor widens and merges into a command center, with work stations grouped around a periscope. The officer stands still and points to a row of monitors, with signs bearing the names

If you remember "Dr. Strangelove", the Soviets had a weapon system that was the ultimate deterent in that if it detected a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, it would destroy the world. The problem was that the Russians hadn't told anyone about it. Oops.

You can never tell about the Middle East. It could be that the Israelis think that if Iran's not-so-close friends believe in a serious Israeli capability, they will convince Iran to not be so threatening. Or it could be that the Israeli government needed to bolster the vote at home. Or maybe someone stupid just let it slip out.

If those submarines ever have to fire their (nuclear warhead) missiles that would mean there is no Israel to go back to. It would mean Israel was attacked with WMDs, and even if they got back to Israel they may not have the opportunity to re-load. It is a true 'Samson' operation - you do the deed and then the rest is up to God. There might be no going back. Kind of similar to Russian Cold War naval strategy - like the Kirov class battle-cruisers that had over 300 air-defense missiles and 10 anti-sub launchers that were simply for the purpose of ensuring it survived long enough to launch its 20 Granit missiles at a US carrier. Once they fired those missiles their job was done ...after all, there would be no naval base to return to since it would have long been destroyed by the US. The survival rates for surface combatants - both US (especially Carriers) and Soviet (everything) - was less than a day following the outbreak of a real Cold War conflagration. Weapons very quickly became single use, and thus first use only tactical weapons. Don't use them quick enough following the outbreak of strategic war, and your tactical weapons (e.g. Kirovs, carriers, even submarines since all sorts of nuclear depth charges would be sent via ASW rocket launchers to anything that seemed more than a shoal of fish) become useless quite quickly.

I think the day (may it never happen) that Israel decides to use their nuclear cruise missiles from their submarines will be the day those submarines will never need to go home again. A true Samson effort. A nuclear Iran attacking Israel with just 5 missiles, each targeting a major population center, wouldn't destroy Israel ...but it would never again be the Israel we know or love. Quite different from a nuclear Iran attacking, say, a US or a Russia or a China. Those same 5 nuclear weapons would absolutely ruin the economy of the US/Russia/China, but it would be quite different for Israel. 5 attacks, one in Jerusalem, the next in Tel-Aviv, the third in Haifa, fourth in Rishon Lezion, and the last in Ashdod would be a death blow. The response from Israel to the aggressor would be gehenna on earth, however Israel at that point would be like the Biblical Samson ...killing all of the enemy, but all the same dead.

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