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U.S. puts brakes on Israeli plan for attack on Iran nuclear facilities
Haaretz ^

Posted on 08/13/2008 7:16:48 AM PDT by WilliamReading

The American administration has rejected an Israeli request for military equipment and support that would improve Israel's ability to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

The Americans viewed the request, which was transmitted (and rejected) at the highest level, as a sign that Israel is in the advanced stages of preparations to attack Iran. They therefore warned Israel against attacking, saying such a strike would undermine American interests. They also demanded that Israel give them prior notice if it nevertheless decided to strike Iran.

Recently, however, Israel has concluded that Bush is unlikely to attack, and will focus instead on ratcheting up diplomatic pressure on Tehran. It prefers to wait until this process has been exhausted, though without conceding the military option. Israel's assumption is that Iran will continue to use delaying tactics, and may even agree to briefly suspend its uranium enrichment program in an effort to see out the rest of Bush's term in peace.

The American-Israeli dispute over a military strike against Iran erupted during Bush's visit to Jerusalem in May. At the time, Bush held a private meeting on the Iranian threat with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and the Israelis presented their request for certain specific items of military equipment, along with diplomatic and security backing.

Therefore, they said, the U.S. would not allow Israeli planes to overfly Iraq en route to Iran.

The Americans sent a similar message to Iraq, which had objected vociferously to the idea of its air space being used for an Israeli attack on Iran.

(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...


TOPICS: Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: geopolitics; islam; israel; mohammedanism; proliferation
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To: WilliamReading
sounding like the Ezekiel option is coming in to play
21 posted on 08/13/2008 8:21:09 AM PDT by Liberty2007 (Here's Dr. Savage's analysis on the POTUS race"The Afro-Leninist vs The Sarcophagus)
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To: kabar
If Israel bombs Iran, the US will be blamed for it. How GOOD is this for the US troops in Iraq and our mission there? What impact will this have on US interests in the region? On world oil supplies and the price of oil? On our economy?

That's right...We should threaten to attack Israel if they don't patiently sit still and wait for Iran to get the means to blow them off the face of the globe...

22 posted on 08/13/2008 8:22:47 AM PDT by Iscool (If Obama becomes the President, it will be an Obama-nation)
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To: rbmillerjr
Bush will lose his only positive legacy, the War on Terror, if he allows Iran to get the bomb.

I still don't see how it matters if Iran gets nukes; Russia has enough for the both of them.

23 posted on 08/13/2008 8:47:44 AM PDT by maclay (America First - The rest of the world comes second)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

high tech bunker busters that were only developed since the conflicts in Afghanistan...deep penetrators.

Without those the deep underground nuke facilities can only be marginally damaged. Even with those the nuke facilities can only be set back greatly, not totally destroyed.


24 posted on 08/13/2008 8:58:37 AM PDT by rbmillerjr ("bigger government means constricting freedom"....................RWR)
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To: rbmillerjr
I thought we gave the Israelis the latest version of our jumbo penetrator or whatever its called...
25 posted on 08/13/2008 9:00:46 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: rbmillerjr
"Israel likely needs bunker busters to use to get the deep underground nuke facilities."

Israel has already bought those from the US.

Tip: Google "Operation Brimstone"

26 posted on 08/13/2008 9:31:47 AM PDT by Jabba the Nutt (We're screwed '09 -'12)
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To: Jabba the Nutt

“...already have bunker busters...”

If this is the case, I’m not sure that they would need anything except for possibly some intelligence that would be helpful for getting in through safe air corridors.


27 posted on 08/13/2008 9:58:18 AM PDT by rbmillerjr ("bigger government means constricting freedom"....................RWR)
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To: kabar

“That’s not the issue.” Funny thing, Iran shares your opinion.


28 posted on 08/13/2008 10:06:10 AM PDT by enduserindy (Just say NO to the curtain!)
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To: Scythian

Don’t believe for a second that we aren’t 100% behind Israel’s attack on Iran.


29 posted on 08/13/2008 10:08:26 AM PDT by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb

It is impossible for Israel to attack Iran without violating Iraqi airspace. Isn’t that true?


30 posted on 08/13/2008 10:38:06 AM PDT by WilliamReading
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To: WilliamReading

But what if they go really really fast?


31 posted on 08/13/2008 10:39:44 AM PDT by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb

How could Israel fly over Iraq without getting secret approval from the USA? That would be impossible.

The U.S. Air Force could shoot them down rather easily.


32 posted on 08/13/2008 10:55:07 AM PDT by WilliamReading
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To: WilliamReading

Our guys may get a sudden need for Krispy Kremes just as the Israelis head east. It will happen. Betcha.


33 posted on 08/13/2008 10:57:39 AM PDT by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT

..................

If true, particularly regarding airspace, this makes things more difficult. But might increase the probability of an attack which would at least degrade Iran's capabilities.

34 posted on 08/13/2008 11:22:43 AM PDT by SJackson (Sell San Francisco to China to finance Obama health care, Bill O'Reilly)
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To: rbmillerjr
Israel likely needs bunker busters to use to get the deep underground nuke facilities.

Most sources think a number have already been delivered. Iraqi airspace would be the stumbling block.

35 posted on 08/13/2008 11:55:42 AM PDT by SJackson (Sell San Francisco to China to finance Obama health care, Bill O'Reilly)
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To: WilliamReading
They therefore warned Israel against attacking, saying such a strike would undermine American interests.

What about Israeli interests, such as national survival?

36 posted on 08/13/2008 12:32:21 PM PDT by TexasRepublic (When hopelessness replaces hope, it opens the door to evil.)
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To: Deb
3 major carrier strike groups are on the way to the Persian Gulf should be the tip off to let us know what is about to happen.
I don't believe that they are just sending this amount of military assets to just take a walk in the park and do nothing.
If anything, I believe just the opposite of what this article is telling us.
37 posted on 08/13/2008 1:47:12 PM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM .53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart, there is no GOD.)
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To: kabar
If Israel bombs Iran, the US will be blamed for it. How GOOD is this for the US troops in Iraq and our mission there? What impact will this have on US interests in the region? On world oil supplies and the price of oil? On our economy?

If you governed Israel you would be preparing to decimate Iran's nukes
The Iranians have very nasty apocalyptic Jihad ideology that cannot be trusted with nukes. Read up on the return of the 12th Imam

At a certain point the Israelis will do what must be done independent of our approval or disapproval

As the "big Satan" we wouldn't be immune either from Iranian nukes
Just mount them on cruise missiles fired from disposable freighters off our coast
This makes NYC, Los Angeles, etc vulnerable

38 posted on 08/13/2008 2:58:08 PM PDT by dennisw (That Muhammad was a charlatan. Islam is a hoax, an imperialistic ideology, disguised as religion.)
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To: dennisw
If you governed Israel you would be preparing to decimate Iran's nukes The Iranians have very nasty apocalyptic Jihad ideology that cannot be trusted with nukes. Read up on the return of the 12th Imam

I lived two years in Tehran, including when Khomeni returned in February 1979. When I first arrived in Iran in 1977, Israel had a trade mission in Iran. They had good bilateral relations. There was a significant local Jewish community in Iran. I even attended a Jewish wedding at a local hotel.

The ayatollahs don't want to commit suicide. They are interested in power and all the perks it brings. This stuff about the 12th imman matters little except to fuel some fantasies about what the Iranian leadership will do. I just don't put that much credence to it. It is the kind of stuff Baghdad Bob put out about the Mother of all Battles and the rivers of American blood running through the streets. Most of the Iranian people hate the mullahs and the repression, which is why Iran has a major brain drain.

At a certain point the Israelis will do what must be done independent of our approval or disapproval

If that is the case, it is a real problem for us. We have provided Israel with over $100 billion in offical assistance and billions more from private sources. If they do it without our approval [explicit or implicit], then we need to rethink the relationship.

As the "big Satan" we wouldn't be immune either from Iranian nukes Just mount them on cruise missiles fired from disposable freighters off our coast This makes NYC, Los Angeles, etc vulnerable

Yeah right. As I said previously on this thread, the biggest danger to us and Israel is Iran providing nuclear weapons to terrorist surrogates. The idea that Iran would make an overt nuclear attack against the US is pure nonsense. Iran would be totally wiped out. The leadership is not about to commit national suicide.

Iran is a former and future ally. We need to be very careful what we do to remove the current regime, which should be our primary objective. We can make that happen thru covert means and supporting domestic opposition. We are making a major mistake trying to negotiate with them. We must make them an international pariah and isolate them, which is difficult because of their oil revenue.

39 posted on 08/13/2008 3:22:11 PM PDT by kabar
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To: kabar

You are very sanguine about the Ayatollahs. You are a minority of one. Or maybe three or four. I go along with none of your theories though thanks for going to that Jewish wedding and reminding me Jews still live there....Though many also got the heck out

Putin was a coiled snake a few days ago .... until he struck. In retrospect we all realize the Russian strike had been planned for months with equipment mobilized in advance


40 posted on 08/13/2008 3:32:37 PM PDT by dennisw (That Muhammad was a charlatan. Islam is a hoax, an imperialistic ideology, disguised as religion.)
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