Posted on 10/30/2009 2:26:08 PM PDT by mojito
The postcard from the Home Front Command that recently arrived in my mailbox looks like an ad from the Ministry of Tourism. A map of Israel is divided by color into six regions, each symbolized by an upbeat drawing: a smiling camel in the Negev desert, a skier in the Golan Heights. In fact, each region signifies the amount of time residents will have to seek shelter from an impending missile attack. If you live along the Gaza border, you have 15 seconds after the siren sounds. Jerusalemites get a full three minutes. But as the regions move farther north, the time drops again, until finally, along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, the color red designates "immediate entry into a shelter." In other words, if you're not already inside a shelter don't bother looking for one.
The invisible but all-pervasive presence on that cheerful map of existential dread is Iran. If Israel were to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran's two terrorist allies on our borders—Hezbollah and Hamas—would almost certainly renew attacks against the Israeli home front. And Tel Aviv would be hit by Iranian long-range missiles.
On the other hand, if Israel refrains from attacking Iran and international efforts to stop its nuclearization fail, the results along our border would likely be even more catastrophic. Hezbollah and Hamas would be emboldened politically and psychologically. The threat of a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv would become a permanent part of Israeli reality. This would do incalculable damage to Israel's sense of security.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
My feeling is that Israel can ABSOLUTELY not rely on DC for help in this —they will get verbal support only, or perhaps be permitted Iraq airspace transit.
In fact, I’d even advise them to consider NOT asking the US in advance of that need, since they might even be REFUSED.
Before the nobel prize I strongly doubted BO, but now? They can expect NOTHING from him.
‘My feeling is that Israel can ABSOLUTELY not rely on DC for help in this —they will get verbal support only, or perhaps be permitted Iraq airspace transit.’
The way things are going in the US, ya gotta wonder if US Marines will be sent to aid Iran...
Frankly, I think Israel would be very foolish to notify Obama that they were about to launch an attack until after it was already launched.
Because there is a very good chance that one of the high level Muslims that have been inserted in our various agencies would immediately leak to Iran. And there is even a good chance that Obama himself would see that Iran was warned.
Even under Bush, there were high level Muslims in the Pentagon and double agents in the CIA and FBI whose primary loyalty is probably to the other side. And I would imagine it is worse now.
In other words, Netanyahu should certainly do the polite thing and inform us—but not until about 3 seconds before the bombs hit the bunkers.
It is a catch-22.
Obama is not doing himself any favors by repeatedly slamming Israel. Then again maybe he just wants to distance himself in advance. Too bad that the US is no longer willing to step up to the plate to defend our allies (or even our ships off Somalia)
If Israel were to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran's two terrorist allies on our borders -- Hezbollah and Hamas -- would almost certainly renew attacks against the Israeli home front. And Tel Aviv would be hit by Iranian long-range missiles. On the other hand, if Israel refrains from attacking Iran and international efforts to stop its nuclearization fail, the results along our border would likely be even more catastrophic. Hezbollah and Hamas would be emboldened politically and psychologically. The threat of a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv would become a permanent part of Israeli reality. This would do incalculable damage to Israel's sense of security.
Well, it looks a little like 1967.
The Russians are supporting the Arabs - or at least not supporting the Israelis. And a liberal US government with a president distracted by creating utopia in the US is waffling in its support for Israel.
The real question isn’t should Israel attack. It’s whether they should go nuclear first. That’s the problem with nukes. If you don’t go first you may not get a chance to go second.
A mighty blow by its own nature carries along its own defense. Secular Israel appears to have very few non-military strategic choices in the long term.
If only, if only Reagan were the President at this time, Iran would have been dealt with already.
That’s my fear. Israel doesn’t have the gazillion dollar air force and other resources to surgically cut out their capabilities and leadership and hover over them until the job is done like we could. That implication is ominous.
But they do have a couple of diesel-electric boats that are rumored to have been retrofitted to handle nukes. That could make for an unpleasant surprise in Tehran.
Hey Ahmadinejad. Guess where our boats are today!
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