Posted on 11/06/2011 8:22:16 AM PST by DBCJR
ISRAELI President Shimon Peres has warned that an attack on Iran was "more and more likely," ahead of tomorrow's release of a report by the UN nuclear watchdog, which is expected to say Tehran has tested nuclear triggering technology and modified ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads.
Mr Peres told Israeli television's second channel: "The intelligence services of the different countries that are keeping an eye on (Iran) are worried and putting pressure on their leaders to warn that Iran is ready to obtain the nuclear weapon."
"We must turn to these countries to ensure that they keep their commitments . . . this must be done, and there is a long list of options," Mr Peres declared.
In the past week, Israel has test-launched a nuclear-capable Jericho 3 missile, which can reach Iran. On Thursday, it completed a major civil defence drill in the Tel Aviv region aimed at simulating a response to conventional and non-conventional missile attacks. The drill fuelled speculation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressing his military for a decision about when and how to strike Iran.
Such a strike, say Israeli sources, would have to involve air, sea and even land forces on a devastating scale as there would be the opportunity for only one "hit". Even so, there is fear of retaliation by Iran's conventional, long-range Shihab missiles.
On Wednesday, Haaretz newspaper reported that Mr Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak were seeking to win cabinet support for a strike. Haaretz said no decision had yet been taken on any military strike, and a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear watchdog to be released tomorrow would have a "decisive effect" on the decision-making process.
Previous IAEA assessments have centred on Iran's efforts to produce fissile material -- uranium and plutonium -- that can be for power generation and other peaceful uses, and also in a nuclear bomb.
The update will focus on Iran's alleged efforts to put the radioactive material in a warhead and to develop missiles to carry them to a target.
Israeli experts have described the Iranian program as "alarming," and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said the report would prove "beyond doubt" its military aims. He hoped Iran would be targeted by a new series of international sanctions.
Israeli sources said their latest evidence amounted to "a smoking gun" that Iran's nuclear program was designed to produce weapons rather than for civil purposes, as Tehran claims. The report is expected to signal a change in attitude by the IAEA, an independent body charged with monitoring nuclear programs and preventing proliferation that reports to the UN.
President Barack Obama, has said that the US and its allies would maintain "unprecedented pressure" on Tehran to prevent it acquiring weapons. President Nicolas Sarkozy said before last week's G20 summit that France would not stand idly by if Israel's existence were threatened.
Since the departure of the previous head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, the institution is said to have collected intelligence from agencies including the US British, Israeli, German and French services.
"It's obvious the IAEA has no capability to challenge the cunning way the Iranians are concealing their nuclear program without the help of Western intelligence services," said an Israeli source.
Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes. Its Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said yesterday the IAEA report was based on "counterfeit" claims. "One can counterfeit money, but it remains counterfeit. These documents are like that."
His buddies......
Or Israel?
If the media is talking about an imminent Israeli attack, it probably won’t happen. Israel doesn’t advertise its military operations in advance for the benefit of the left wing media and its enemies. (Which are sort of one and the same...)
I suspect he will have a convoluted response publicly and define it in a diametric manner before liberal Jewish donors and Islamic nations.
Wonder who he's talking about here.
The Australian spreading hypothetical BS.
This type hypothetical BS has been coming and going for the past half decade concerning Israel or the US attacking Iran’s nuclear weapons program. =.=
You can bet that as soon as Israel told the U.S. that the bombs were going to start, this administration would be on the “special” hot lines set up for just such an occasion. Israel’s enemies would know about it within seconds.
It would be interesting if Israel were to conduct a “test” . . . and feed the U.S. with false plans . . . and prove that this admin is complicit in their destruction.
But world governments were incapable of heading off the worst case scenario which is now upon us. They buried their heads in the sand.
Now judgment day approaches. We will all suffer.
I don’t think he has much faith in the UN IAEA inspectors. ...
This could get ugly, really ugly, and all because the world didn't stop the problem 5+ years ago. A thousand things could happen to change everything, such as the people of Iran rioting and the country descending into chaos, so no one really can predict anything with certainty. Yet the possibility that this is a trigger event that plunges the world into chaos should frighten the world into acting now and not let Israel act alone.
Zachariah chapters 12 & 14 tells us what happens next.
Sorry. I don’t believe it.
Israel will lose.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.