Israeli Air Force KC-707 tanker
Posted on 08/29/2008 1:55:39 PM PDT by mojito
Israel will not agree to allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons and if time begins running out, Jerusalem will not hesitate to take whatever means necessary to prevent Iran from achieving its nuclear goals, the government has recently decided in a special discussion.
According to the Israeli daily Ma'ariv, whether the United States and Western countries will succeed in toppling the ayatollah regime diplomatically, through sanctions, or whether an American strike on Iran will eventually be decided upon, Jerusalem has put preparations for a separate, independent military strike by Israel in high gear.
So far, Israel has not received American authorization to use US-controlled Iraqi airspace, nor has the defense establishment been successful in securing the purchase of advanced US-made warplanes which could facilitate an Israeli strike.
The Americans have offered Israel permission to use a global early warning radar system, implying that the US is pushing Israel to settle for defensive measures only.
Because of Israel's lack of strategic depth, Jerusalem has consistently warned over the past years it will not settle for a 'wait and see' approach and retaliate in case of attack, but rather use preemption to prevent any risk of being hit in the first place.
Ephraim Sneh a veteran Labor MK which has left the party recently, has sent a document to both US presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. The eight-point document states that "there is no government in Jerusalem that would ever reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. When it is clear Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, an Israeli military strike to prevent this will be seriously considered."
According to Ma'ariv, Sneh offered the two candidates the "sane, cheap and the only option that does not necessitate bloodshed." To prevent Iran's nuclear aspirations, Sneh wrote, "real" sanctions applied in concert by the US and Europe is necessary. A total embargo in spare parts for the oil industry and a total boycott of Iranian banks will topple, within a short time, the regime which is already pressured by a sloping economy and would be toppled by the Iranian people if they would have outside assistance.
The window of opportunity Sneh suggests is a year and a half to two years, until 2010.
Sneh also visited Switzerland and Austria last week in an attempt to lobby those two states. Both countries have announced massive long-term investments in Iranian gas and oil fields for the next decade.
"Talk of the Jewish Holocaust and Israel's security doesn't impress these guys," Sneh said wryly.
Hearing his hosts speak of their future investments, Sneh replied quietly "it's a shame, because Ido will light all this up." He was referring to Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, the recently appointed commander of the Israeli Air Force and the man most likely to be the one to orchestrate Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, should this become the necessity.
"Investing in Iran in 2008," Sneh told his Austrian hosts, "is like investing in the Krupp steelworks in 1938, it's a high risk investment." The Austrians, according to Sneh, turned pale.
In related news, Israel Radio reported that Iran has finished installing an additional 4,000 centrifuges in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The Islamic Republic also announced it will install an additional 3,000 centrifuges in coming months.
The pan-Arabic Al Kuds al Arabi reported Friday that Iran has equipped Hizbullah with longer range missiles than those it had before the Second Lebanon War and also improved the terror group's targeting capabilities.
According to the report, which The Jerusalem Post could not verify independently, Hizbullah would begin a massive rocket onslaught on targets reaching deep into Israel's civilian underbelly in case the Jewish State would launch an attack on Iran.
Earth penetrator weapons (even the nuke versions) range from 15,000 lbs up toward 40,000 lbs.
You are not going to get off the ground slinging one of those off the centerline of an F-15, and the wing stations would not manage it either..
If he did fly, he will burn up fuel at a prodigious rate and be about as slow and maneuverable as a sloth.
They need heavy bombers for that task, they dont have them.
google of ground penetrator weapons
Hearing his hosts speak of their future investments, Sneh replied quietly "it's a shame, because Ido will light all this up." He was referring to Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan
So, let’s look at the worst case scenario. What if the US refuses any help at all and Israel decides they have run out of time and must strike Iran alone.
If they can’t reach long range targets with heavy munitions, they’d have to have some help from agents on the ground to make strikes more effective and they’d have to use multiple strikes to take out targets in stages. This means a longer air campaign requiring nearly complete suppression of Iranian air defenses at the beginning. What forces would it take to accomplish this?
If they can’t count on US forces for refueling and protective cover, how CAN they refuel their planes in the air? Who WILL give them overflight permission? Could they manipulate Iranian defenses into chasing them into US forces at the Iraq/Iran border in hopes the US will engage Iran, at least defensively when attacked?
With Hezbollah being armed with longer range missiles, what can Israel do to prevent them from striking Israeli populating centers?
What role is Syria likely to play in all this? Is there any credence to the recent rumors that Assad might be willing to switch sides given the right level of incentives?
GBU-24 w/BLU-109 penetrator only weighs 2,000 lbs.
There are FAE bombs, and thermobaric bombs that can close up tunnels and asphyxiate the occupants that are also not all that heavy.
If time “begins” running out???? What a silly construction. Time never “begins” to run out. The time to a posited event has been getting shorter, thus “running” out since “Let There Be Light” or the “Big Bang.”
“They need heavy bombers for that task, they dont have them.”
True. But we might have to temporarily leave some heavy bombers at an Israeli base, for uh...uh.. maintenance.
Yeah, that’s the ticket. Emergency maintenance.
And, after they are ‘fixed’, someone’s gotta test drive ‘em.
Israeli Air Force KC-707 tanker
They don’t require heavy strategic bombers. It would take years to train Israeli crews to fly and effectively operate heavy strategic bombers. Israeli with their current capability can only hope to wipe out part or key parts of the Iranian facilities. They can’t hope to wipe out everything, but only set the Iranians back. The Iranians will retaliate against Israel. Possibly Israel is hoping that the U.S. will step in to finish the job.
Maybe they don't have enough of them?
“They don’t require heavy strategic bombers.”
Yes they do. And we’d have to send them a 1000 B-52’s to do the job. If we don’t, there is nothing Israel can do.
Israel is so weak, Iran has nothing to worry about. They can continue their plan to arm missiles with Nukes and aim them at Israeli and American interests, and there is nothing we can do short of giving Israel what they need.
(the above is sarcasm, and disinformation, hoping the enemy is stupid enough to believe it)
That would be okay with me. There might even be a few ‘advisor’s’ stowed on board, along with ground penetrators of the caliber I know they will need.
We are talking about Israeli pre-emptive conventional strikes on Iran. Strikes to cripple and reduce Iran’s nuclear ambitions as they exist today. Why are you getting your nose so out of joint? Israel isn’t going to go first strike nuclear just to cripple Iran’s nuclear facilites as they exist today. Their intentions and aim is to set back and disable as much of it as they can.
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