Israel prepping for Action: Iraq?

Ha`aretz ^ | October 11, 2001 | Amos Harel

[FresnoDA]

Israel prepares for expected United States attack on Iraq

By Amos Harel

Israel believes the United States intends to attack Iraq at a later stage of its current war against terror, and has asked Washington to provide adequate warning.

Senior defense officials say the U.S. will avoid broadening the war at this stage for fear of inflaming opinion in the Arab world, "and thus playing into Bin Laden's hands." But they say they have "no doubt" of Washington's desire to strike at Iraq.

Defense officials here were gratified at the inclusion of Imad Mugniyah, Hezbollah's top strategic planner, in a list of 22 wanted international terrorists released by President George W. Bush yesterday (see IHT - Page 1). But they cautioned that this could prompt Hezbollah to launch attacks on Israeli targets across the northern border or abroad given the fact that by singling out Mugniyah, the U.S. plans to strike at the organization at a later stage of the war.

The likelihood of attacks against Iraq and the subsequent possibility that it will trigger missile attacks on Israel have become working scenarios for IDF civil defense planners. A senior defense official said yesterday that Israel had to assume Iraq would try to deploy chemical or biological warheads, asserting that the country's civil defenses were equipped to face that threat.

A top IDF specialist, however, cast doubt on Baghdad's capabilities to mount a non-conventional warhead on one of its remaining missiles and then fire it at Israel. "I am not sure they can do it, and not sure they would want to. Their experiences in the 1991 [Gulf] War would hardly encourage them to try it."

Despite this assessment, the source praised the IDF's civil defense preparations as "proper and reasonable," adding that Israel has learned a great deal about non-conventional threats over the past decade.

Israeli officials say Mugniyah, who conveys instructions and transfers finances between Tehran and Hezbollah's operations base in Lebanon, is the most senior figure behind the group's terror activities. The officials claim he was responsible for the bombings in Buenos Aires of the Israel Embassy in 1992 and the AMIA Jewish center in 1994. He was also involved in attacks against U.S. Marines and French troops in Beirut in 1983 and in the 1995 hijacking of a TWA plane to Beirut.

According to the officials, Mugniyah held IAF navigator Ron Arad for some time in the late 1980s after having received him from Mustafa Dirani, who was subsequently kidnapped by Israel and is still held in custody here.

Mugniyah is believed to travel frequently between Iran and Lebanon. Israel failed to catch him some years ago.

By listing Mugniyah among its most wanted terrorists, the U.S. appears to to have defined Hezbollah as a likely and legitimate target in its unfolding war against international terror, the officials said. While Israel, Hezbollah's principal victim, cannot but be gratified by this development, it may lead Mugniyah to launch new and ambitious terror attacks against the country before the U.S. targets him and his organization.

[FresnoDA]

Let's Roll!! Now!!

[Greg Weston]

Yeah we could drop some bombs and stuff. But if the Saudis don't want us on their damn property....

[Aric2000]

Iraq, I am almost positive on the hit list, one of the top 5 so to speak. Saddam is toast...

The problem is that the man is nuts enough to think that if he is going out, he will take the rest of us with him. We need to make sure that we take out any and all offensive weapons in any strike on Iraq!!

[Greg Weston]

"Saddam is toast."

I hope you are right. But I recall hearing this alot 10 years ago or so. The bitch is still around. I don't think cruise missiles are going to get it done.

[Brian Allen]

This time it seems the much-vaunted and over-promoted quota-hire is out of the way -- down at Foggy Bottom -- and we just might have a Commander in Chief. What a pleasant thought. First time in eight and a half years I could Capitalize that Office!

And Herr Sodom, having sewn the wind can but await the whirlwind's coming.

[Wow -- How that must feel!]

[Davea]

Sorry about the double post. I searched using "prepares" and didn't see it. But that's okay. Great minds you know... There is some unfinished business that is going to be taken care of in many locales in the Mideast very shortly. I think the world is in in for a very big shock.

[The KG9 Kid]

I have a suspicion that an upcoming US attack on Iraq will coincide with the announcement that Israel has joined NATO.

Yes, Israel joins NATO.

It's the only way to guarantee the safety of a newly-created Palestinian state *from* Israel, protect Israel from the new Palestine and hostile Arab regimes at the same time, and would enable America go after the HAMAS and Hizbollah all at once.

I don't see any other way. Hell, if they're offering NATO membership to *Latvia* after all, then being near the Atlantic really has nothing to do with it.

Maybe we'll get really lucky and the UN will move to Bern, Switzerland.

[NYS_Eric]

There's not a single nation in the NATO alliance with the exception of the US that would even remotely consider membership for Israel. (Nice out-of-the-box thinking, though!)

[tonycavanagh]

Saudi Arabia, is one of the biggest funders of various Islamic terrorist groups in the Middle East, she also funds the very Islamic religious schools that feeds recruits to the Taliban, the Chechen, Kashmir, and other Islamic terrorist groups.

While all the time hiding behind American military power.

Nothing is said about this because the West needs cheap Saudi Oil to meet its energy needs.

For Saudi Arabia there is only one needle in its Islamic haystack, Saddam Hussian.

Saddam Hussian is s blood thirsty Dictator buy he is also a secular dictator, more interested in make Iraq a major power than making Iraq a Islamic state.

The Saudi Arabian family are afraid of Saddam.

This is a major leverage for America in keeping her military power in the region.

This leverage they use on Saudi Intelligence who in turn use leverage to make sure that Hamas and Islamic Jihad don’t rock the boat to much.

In other words both Israel and the terrorist have what amounts to a damage and kill quota, this is managed by America and Saudi Arabia.

America did not remove Saddam when they had the chance, because without the threat of Saddam, America would lose its leverage over Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia would then be free to increase its already considerable power in the Islamic world, and its aim to create a Islamic Super State

Tony

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Only one flaw in that article. They are asking us for advance warning. If Iraq were going to make a move against Israel, the Israeli Early Warning Satellite would give them the heads up they need. Not to mention, Israel has a launch on impact order outstanding now so I doubt Iraq has the hutspa to move against Israel. Unless they want to glow for 10,000 years.

[CatoRenasci]

I think you have a point: America's leverage over the Saudi's is primarily our ability to protect them from Saddam Hussein. However, I'm not so sure that having taken out Saddam, we couldn't just seize the oilfields we need and let the Saudi government fall of its own weight. Or, perhaps we'd have to take them out, but that works for me, too.

[tonycavanagh]

re : we couldn't just seize the oilfields we need and let the Saudi government fall of its own weight. Or, perhaps we'd have to take them out, but that works for me, too.

That would remove Saddam and the Saudi Royal Family, but then America will have to deal with the next contender and the next one after that, and each time they will come back more determined to push America out of the Middle East.

The problem is not the taking but the holding.

It is easy to motivate people to fight for liberty, it is a lot harder to motivate people to fight against other people fighting for liberty.

It will be the Vietnam syndrome all over again.

The American people are steeped in the idea of liberty, not the best basis for building an empire.

To build an Empire you have to subjugate your own people first, get them used to the idea.

Tony

[Mr.E]

Who is afraid of democracy the most in the Mideast? It has to be these oppressive Kings who incidentally, live live like Kings in a countries where the children eat flies for lunch. These "Rulers" do not want their subjects to receive direct aid from the people of the USA. That is why every humanitarian effort fails in this part of the world. These Kings make sure of it. These Nation's of Islam have untold wealth and yet have no toilets or basic human services. The last thing they want is their subject to even think that there might be a better way for their children to live life. I say drop Rock & Roll with Levis and Yodells, 12 packs of Pepsi into this country. There will be a riot for more in a month. These Kings need to be removed by their own people. All of them . The days of the flying carpet is over. That is why we are hated by this region. Their media promotes the hate out of fear for there power.

[Brian Allen]

You are a Truth Teller, Brother Tony! -- FReegards -- Brian