Posted on 06/12/2010 7:26:51 AM PDT by null and void
Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.
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sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.
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Questioned on the option of a Saudi flight path for Israeli bombers, Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said: “I know that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity.”
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Both governments have denied the reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Do the words "sunni" and "shia" mean anything to you? Muslims kill lots of other muslims.
The Saudi people might bitch a little, but the Saudi royals are bidnessmen. And stable markets are good for bidness.
It’s a sad day when I find myself wondering why Obama won’t clearly give Israel the same accomodation that Saudi Arabia does.
The Iranians are the original Aryans, people of caucasian origin speaking an indo-european language. They are not Arabs, which the residents of Saudi Arabia are.
“Iran has a long history of responding well to pressure, doesn’t it?”
ummmmmm...maybe not so much ;-)
Plus, if anyone thinks the Saudis (or the Egyptians, the Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Kuwaitis, etc.) give two s***s about the Palestinians they don't know the peoples or the region. The Palestinian "cause" is nothing more than a diversion to keep the masses hating someone besides their own overlords.
But Iran with nukes? That is an existential threat to every Arab regime, and especially the Saudis.
Yeah, and if one eliminates the other, they will turn in on themselves. No one will ever be 'muslim enough' for a True Believer.
The house of Saud doesn't only have to worry about their own everloving subjects, they have to worry about Iranian sponsored assassins as well. Striking a blow, no matter how ineffectual, against Iran's attackers will go a long ways towards mollifying them.
The Saudi people might bitch a little, but the Saudi royals are bidnessmen. And stable markets are good for bidness.
And bidnesssmen recognize that Iran is a threat to stability in general, and by maintaining the ability to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, to Saudi in particular.
I can't speak to all the reasoning that would go into their calculus of the situation, but being able to have Iran wounded, and Israel plausibly deniably punished might be perceived as a good idea.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is Israel needs to watch its six.
Although I am quite certain they all know the story of the frog and the scorpion...
Yeah. And if they've got a clear corridor, they'll have the smarts to put up reinforcements to cover the six of any planes that may be returning from a flight to Iran.
They’re plenty smart. But the near unlimited human capacity to self-deceive is always a risk.
I knew that when I posted. To me they are all Islam and all Arabs. Put them next to each other and I bet you could not tell me which is which. Ishmael was their father. I am an American Indian of the Yurok Tribe. We have nothing in common with the Cherokee (other than getting screwed) but we, as all the tribes, are still American Indians.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Esfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.
The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel; the outer limits of their bombers’ range, even with aerial refuelling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.
Natanz, Qum, Isfahan and Arak are all to the south and west of Tehran, over flying Iraq would allow the four strike packages a direct route. Qum is the furthest, being just 60 miles south-southwest of Tehran, Natanz is an almost equal distance and is 120 miles south of Tehran, while Isfahan is 60 miles south-southwest of Natanz, Arak is closest being 70 miles southwest of Qum. Qum, Natanz and Esfahan are all three are roughly 1,500km from Israel if a direct route over Jordan & Iraq is used but an Israeli air strike would not be flown direct.
Likely attack routes:
The first, flown similar to the 1981 Iraqi Reactor Strike, just south of Jordan, thru Saudi Arabia, across Iraq and into Iran to the targets is about 1,800km. For both Israel and Saudi, this is the best option as most of the route is over trackless desert and largely unpopulated areas. This route places all four targets is just within range (according to GlobalSecurity.org) of the F-16I and well within the range of the F-15I.
The second, just south of Jordan, across Saudi Arabia, south of Kuwait, over the Persian Gulf, turn north east into Iran to the targets is about 2,200km. For all parties this is not the preferred option, although most of it is flown over trackless desert and is largely unpopulated, this route passes cross to two large Saudi Air Bases, thru the Gulf air routes which are busy and entering Iran from the Gulf requires a very low level entry overwater to avoid radar detection.
For both routes the return leg would likely be similar to the 1981 raid, low level out of the target area, once out of Iran, climb to high altitude for maximum fuel economy and straight across Iraq and Jordan.
Likely attack options:
Against the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qum: I would expect 8 (or 12) F-15I each fitted with 2x750gal CFTs & 3x610gal drop tanks, armed with 2xAMRAAMs, 2xPython4 air-to-air missiles and carrying 4xGBU-31 (GPS guided 2,000 lb Bombs) to target these facilities. They would likely be escorted by 4 F-15C/D each fitted with 2x775gal CFTs & 3x610gal drop tanks, armed with 6xAMRAAMs & 2xPython4s and 4 F-16I each fitted with 2x450 gal CFTs, 2x600gal (wing) & 1x370gal (belly) drop tanks, armed with 2xAMRAAMs, 2xPython4s and carrying 2xAGM-88 HARM (anti-radar missiles) or 4xCBU-87(cluster bomb units) for AAA & SAM suppression. These two would take the hardest hits as the Israelis consider them the top two targets and want them completely destroyed.
Against the heavy water reactor at Arak: I would expect 12 F-16I each fitted with 2x450 gal CFTs, 2x600gal (wing) & 1x370gal (belly) drop tanks, armed with 2xAMRAAMs, 2xPython4s and carrying 2xGBU-31 to target this facility. They would likely be escorted by 4 F-15C/D and 4 F-16I. The heavy water reactor would be the #3 target and would suffer accordingly.
Against the “gas storage development at Esfahan” which may refer to the Esfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center: I would expect 16 F-16I likely escorted by 4 F-15C/D and 4 F-16I to target Esfahan. Esfahan is also the home of an Iranian Air Force Base that is equipped with a squadron of US built F-14A Tomcats, I would expect at least 4 F-16I would be tasked to target the base, hitting the runways, taxiways and any F-14s parked in the open.
Timing would be critical, all four targets must be hit simultaneously, preferably 0100 to 0400L.
Bushehr in the coast is a likely target for either a submarine attack using Israel’s new Type 212 AIP subs launching the “Popeye Turbo” cruise missiles or a possible naval commando attack or possibly hit by an airstrike using the southern route: Probably 20 F-16I escorted by 4 F-15C/D and 4 F-16I. Although listed as a secondary target, the reactor is literally on the water. Bushehr is home to a large Iranian Air force Base and a long range SAM system, both of which would need to be targeted during an airstrike against the reactor.
“Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit agreement to the raid from Washington.”
The only US combat aircraft in Iraq that could interfere with an Israeli raid are USAF F-16 at Balad and Marine AV-8B & F-18 at Al Asad. I seriously doubt any US fighter pilot pulling up next to a formation of Israeli F-15I or F-16I that are loaded for bear and heading east is going to do anything to stop them, they will probably be ordered to “escort them out of Iraqi airspace” and “Sir, Iranian airspace was closest.”
The above is all purely theoretical.
President Ahmadinejad has described the UN resolution as “a used handkerchief, which should be thrown in the dustbin.”
Never have truer words been spoken regarding a un-resolution. I would say that his response would be similar to “why used toilet paper that needs to be flushed” but that is only a guess.
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