ISRAEL GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF PLANNING IRAN ATTACK?
Would Israel attack Iranian nuclear facilities without the cooperation and approval from the United States?
If they have to, you betchya. But a couple of problems inherent in a positive response to that query is the question of what would be meant by “have to” and the notion that the Israeli Air Force has the ways and means of being successful in any such attack in the first place.
War monger George Bush has apparently rebuffed the Israelis when the Jewish state asked for American cooperation in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities last May. I frankly don’t understand how that’s possible considering that Seymour Hersh and many others on the left assured us that Bloodthirsty Bush was itching for war with Iran in order to bring about the end times and fulfill the prophecies of the Bible.
Over the last 4 years, lefties like Hersh have predicted a US strike on Iran (or our tacit approval of one by the IDF) so many times I’ve lost count. Is there a faction in the Administration that would love to see us level Nantanz and a few other installations? Absolutely. But there has always been opposition to this move by the real politik crowd who, since getting burned by going along with the neocons on invading Iraq, have asserted themselves on Iran and it appears they have convinced Bush that only in the most dire, last resort circumstances should such a shattering attack be approved.
We won’t go into the pros and cons now. I summarized most of them here if you wish to revisit the familiar. Suffice it to say that attacking Iran would be a monumentally bad idea, a disaster for Iraq, a disaster for the region, and a potential disaster for the world. The only possible justification would be if Iran is on the cusp of constructing a bomb and would have perfected a delivery system - something they are at least a year away from the former and several years away from the latter.
The news reports about Iran having enough nuclear material to build a bomb have been incredibly misleading. There is no evidence that Iran has any facilities to enrich their uranium from its current 3-5% to the 85-90% necessary to make it go boom. The problem is that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Even IAEA lickspittle ElBaradei is worried that he and his group of nuclear enablers cannot guarantee Iran doesn’t have some secret installation that can complete the enrichment process and build a bomb. What is known, however, is that they are not doing it at Nantanz where the centrifuges keep whirling merrily away, creating the raw material of Israel’s destruction.
This, of course, is the $64,000 question and is the reason Israel is so nervous. Another unknown is how far along Iran is in perfecting their plutonium manufacturing process at Arak where there is a heavy water facility. The IAEA inspected the plant last year while it was under construction. Once operational, that plant alone could produce enough plutonium to make 5-6 bombs a year - if the Iranians could master the extraordinarily difficult task of fashioning a weapon from the more efficient nuclear material. Most experts say the Iranians are at least 5 years away from getting the Arak facility up and running and another few years from being capable of building a plutonium device.
But the Israelis are looking at the 250 pounds of enriched uranium sitting in storage knowing it would take just a few months to continue the enrichment process and make Iranian dreams of a bomb come true. That’s if the Iranians had a mind to do so and if they had a facility or facilities that they could keep the prying eyes of the world from discovering what they are doing.
As for the former, the only people willing to debate the “no” position are either still in diapers or are liberals. The latter supposition is a lot trickier and depends on both what we know from history and what we can assume from Iranian statements on their nuclear program.
As for history, we can consider ourselves lucky we can prove the Iranians have a nuclear program at all. We only uncovered its scope when we unmasked the nuclear black market being run by A.Q. Kahn, the “Father of the Pakistani Bomb” who not only supplied hardware to states wanting to get their hands on nuclear weapons but also expertise in the form of rogue nuclear scientists who were assisting several states including North Korea, Iran, and Libya.
What makes Khan’s assistance so significant is that he was not helping these countries to build power reactors or submarine power plants or even really cool experimental stuff that might unlock the nature of the universe. He was helping these nations for one reason and one reason only - to build an atomic weapon. Much of the equipment he loaned or sold these nations - not to mention apparently selling the actual design for a bomb - reveals an unmistakable desire on the part of these nations to acquire nuclear weaponry.
As for statements by the current regime in Iran speaking to their intent; while mouthing nonsense about using their knowledge and technology for “peaceful purposes” they have, out of the other side of their mouths, been a little more forthcoming in their desire to “wipe Israel off the map” and make Iran “a great power.”
Put one and one together and you are left with the unmistakable impression that Iran wants to build a nuke. It would be the height of folly and wishful thinking to believe anything else.
That said, whither Israel? If an Obama Administration will not authorize an Israeli strike or go after Iran itself, where does that leave the Jewish state?
The IDF is drawing up options for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities that do not include coordination with the United States, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation.
“It is always better to coordinate,” one top Defense Ministry official explained last week. “But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination.”
Israeli officials have said it would be difficult, but not impossible, to launch a strike against Iran without receiving codes from the US Air Force, which controls Iraqi airspace. Israel also asked for the codes in 1991 during the First Gulf War, but the US refused.
Several news reports have claimed recently that US President George W. Bush has refused to give Israel a green light for an attack on Iranian facilities. One such report, published in September in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, claimed that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert requested a green light to attack Iran in May but was refused by Bush.
Just looking at a map will show the difficulties for Israel in attacking Iran without permission to traverse Iraqi airspace. The IAF would have to fly over the entire length of Syria and part of Turkey in order to reach Iranian territory. From there, it is another long leg to hit the main Iranian nuke facilities in central and southwestern Iran. The Israeli air force has the capability but the mission would be incredibly dangerous - virtually a one way trip considering everything. That is - unless the US gave the IDF permission to overfly Iraq.
(Note: An emailer points me to Ed Morrissey’s piece this morning positing another route for the IAF to Iran - down the Red Sea through the Gulf of Aden around the Arabian Sea and finally flying into the Persian Gulf - that’s around the entire Arabian penninsula just to get to the Gulf where there are two good targets; Bushehr and Shiraz - the latter is a missile testing site while the former is the site of a Russian built light water reactor.
But this would really be stretching Israeli refueling capability not to mention that it is a 5500 mile round trip. That much flying time is almost guaranteed to alert Iran to the sortie. As for any other route - overflying Jordan and Saudi Arabia for instance - both nations possess sophisticated air defenses courtesy of Uncle Sam. Without US approval, it is doubtful the Saudis would appreciate so many Israeli planes flying over their territory.)
Would Obama consent? During the campaign he made the right noises about not taking the military option “off the table” on Iran but realistically, I don’t think an American attack or a green light to Israel are in the cards when he takes office. The downside to an attack is so bad that perhaps the prospect of Iran with nukes wouldn’t look as bad - at least that will probably be the advice he will be getting from everyone but Hillary.
So the question of whether Israel feels it will “have to” bomb Iran will be extraordinarily difficult for the Livni government to puzzle out. Given all that we know about the difficulties facing Israel in carrying out such an attack, the prospects for limited success, the blowback in the form of Hamas and Hezballah increased terrorism, and the certainty that it would further isolate the Jewish state and perhaps even drive a wedge between them and their #1 ally - all of this would lead one to believe that Israel has no intention of attacking Iran and that these leaks are, for all intents and purposes, just for show.
At least that’s the impression one gets from this piece in ToL:
However defence officials played down the reports today, telling The Times that an attack by Israeli forces alone would probably fail to take out all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which experts say are scattered across several sites, some deep underground.
“That would leave us open to a nuclear attack from Iran’s remaining weapons stock. Israel would likely need the support, the backing, of forces from a Western ally to successfully carry out the operation,” he said.
Except the existential threat to Israel may be so great that they may feel compelled to attack anyway - alone if absolutely necessary.
They and the rest of the world have time, but not much. Postulating that Iran has someplace they could enrich the uranium they already have to bomb making levels, it would still take many months at their current level of technology to accomplish the task. Unanswered questions are whether they have a workable bomb design and more importantly, have been able to configure the bomb to fit atop one of their Shahab missiles. But I doubt whether Israel is going to wait to discover the answers. More likely, once the Iranian nuclear program has passed a certain point of no return, they will consider acting.
Right now, Israeli intelligence pegs that point as the end of 2009.
Are they supposed to attack the day before Iran gets the bomb? Regardless of the timing, Israel needs to attack when they can, not when they have to. Why not just form up and fly straight across Iraq without permission? What is the U.S. going to do? The answer is nothing and the Iraqis have no capability to interdict and probably no capability to even detect Israeli movement. Iran is upgrading air defense infrastructure so why give them time to get it up and running? Sorry for all the questions.
All good questions, Dan. Goes back to putting us in an impossible position of being aware of what they’re doing and being accused of complicity.
As far as when, I think they have made it clear that once they feel Iran has the capability of hitting them, they will have to do something. Iran won’t have a way to deliver a weapon by the end of next year but they will have enough enriched U-235 that even at a very low level of enrichment - say 20% - could be fashioned into a bomb. It would be a big bomb - probably only deliverable on a boat - but the possibility would be there.
ed.
Comment by dan in michigan — 12/4/2008 @ 3:02 pm
I have to disagree on the “several years away from (perfecting a delivery system)”. A crude nuclear weapon would easily fit on either a fighter or “civilian” transport. It may or may not make it over Israeli airspace (and specifically over Tel Aviv), and it almost certainly wouldn’t make it back, but I rather doubt it would be planned as a round-trip.
By the time the Iranians would be likely to have a warhead design sufficiently miniaturized to fit on a missile, anti-missile defenses will be rather robust.
Comment by steveegg — 12/4/2008 @ 3:20 pm
Israel has proven time and again that their intelligence is the best in the world (not perfect, just better than everybody elses). More than likely, they know exactly when Iran’s achieved critcal capacity, and it is even more likely that they (or at least their spies) know the location of every “secret” installation (getting that data is probably the hard part, since their spies are almost certainly sequestered.
But flying across Iraq without US approval would most likely result in friendly-fire shootdowns (US anti-aircraft missles, and US jet-scrambles), unless the US non-approval was wink-wink.
Even more distressing to me is the ease of fashioning a dirty bomb. They’re not pretty, but they can still kill 10’s of thousands.
These are bad times. It’s when, not if.
Comment by lionheart — 12/4/2008 @ 4:24 pm
I agree with poster #2. If a bomb hits Israel it isn’t going to be in the nose cone of a ballistic missile. Rick, no matter what, if Irael does this we will be viewed as complicit. If the Iraelis do it the way I suggest, then after the strike they can say “hey, sorry about that” and we can confirm that we didn’t know. In the end it really doesn’t matter as there is a potential for some serious blowback. Consider another scenario. Rather than attcking the scattered nuclear sites in one single strike, the Israelis go after command and control,airfields,missile batteries, the transmission grid and other assets capable of retaliation. Then, at their “leisure”, they could a wage a weeks long air campaign where you could have accurate battle damage assessment and ensure the job got done right. Hell, the could cruise around chucking MOAB’s out the back of a C-130. Sure the world would howl, but they won’t care. They are serious about this.
Comment by dan in michigan — 12/4/2008 @ 4:45 pm
Iran is not the Arab world and I’m really not sure that is a wise move, also for Israel, in the long run. At the moment you have the religious zealots firmly in control but there are large sections of the population that are not only well educated but also waiting for better times. An attack would make the population unite. Ok, if Iran is close to attacking Israel this attack would be justified. Apart from that why should the US support this?
Comment by funny man — 12/4/2008 @ 6:51 pm
Why do we insist that Irael use it’s Air Force? It’sjustas likely that Israel would use something else, say those very quiet and sneaky diesel-electric submarines and cruise missiles.
This would be their best bet. Assume that the Izzies are smart enough to not put the star of Davis all over and fly the missiles right past the traffic cameras, everybody would think that the warmonger Bush did it.
Comment by Peter — 12/4/2008 @ 7:59 pm
You guys are not being imaginative
enough. Hint: When Israel hit the Syrian/Korean reactor, cell phones in Lebanon did not work for a few days. Electronic equipment, including planes and anti-aircraft missiles are worthless if the electronic systems are shot. Stop fighting the last war, think of the next one.
But there will not be a war. With the Sunnis helping by not cutting oil production, Iran is on the verge of total bankruptcy.
Inflation is rampant, unemployment is high, drug use is high (sort of), and the youth are restless.
If the Iranian military is destroyed and the country is bankrupt then it is two steps backward for Iran. They will blink, soon after Obama becomes
President.
Comment by Norm — 12/4/2008 @ 10:40 pm
We have to beg God for mercy for our wrong actions ie violence and go for peace.
Maybe God consider us and forgive,if we truly repent.
How easy it is to go in the safety of an aircraft cockpit and drop bombs over a country—just a touch of a button and BOOM goes the country—razed to the groun and BOOM goes the people,kids,old and young,in millions.
Does God allows this violent action?
NO,NEVER NO.
GOD FORBIDS VIOLENCE.
Wealth and power turn you into Pharaoh,stop playing gods.
God’s wrath only befalls those who exceed in violence.
A line has been drawn,if you cross that then wait till you are wiped off like nations before you,you shall be thrown into Hell with them if you are involved in violence.
Its given in THE BOOK OF GOD THAT WE ALL READ.DONT WE?
Have a VOTE
a.Peace.
b.War.
Humanity at large wants peace not war.
You BET.
A few who play gods want wars,so as to pounce on others wealth,under the facade of peace,liberation and religion.
Religion is between an individual and God ,not amongst individuals.
Stop poking your fingers into other lives,just worry about yourself,not others.
Points to Ponder?
Dont we all know this?
As to who is who and what?Leave it to God for He is the Judge not us.
God asks for good deeds only,that shall lead us to Heaven.
Bad Deeds shall lead us to Hell.
Remember only kind people who dont hurt others shall enter Heaven.
Those who spread violence,murder,massacare shall enter Hell.
Rabbi is a word derived from Rab ie God,whosoever believes in Rab ie God is a Rabbi.Are’nt we all believers of ONE God?
Read these and tell me where do we dffer?
Its time to unite,not divide for peace sake.
Save the world not break it.
1.No religion preaches violence.
2.The Book of God is for all humanity at large,not just us who put a claim on it.
3.God forbids violence,murder and suicide.
4.God forbids entering homes without prior permission,mind you a country is ones home.
5.God asks us to save lives not take them.
6.God asks us to love not hate.
7.God wants us to live and not hate.
8.God allows revenge as has been perpritated on or a wound,an eye for an eyep for a slap,a wound for a wound,an eye for an eye and so on so forth,but if you forgive God shall reward you.
9.Nasranis a word derived from nasr meaning help,all those who help others are nasranis,who does’nt want to help others?
These are qualities found in all human beings,who follow and who does’nt is for God to judge,not us.
God tells us not to pry into other lives.
God is telling us that I have not made you lawyers,dictators and guards over them.
Yahood mean whosoever going after wealth and power,who does’nt?We all do,dont we?
Islam means peace and whosoever going after peace is a Muslim,are’nt we all going after peace?
Comment by Rehana — 12/5/2008 @ 12:51 am
To late talk about,time to clean backyard.Time not on the Israel side. Best time clean all at once Before all global economy go down. look option whats happend after hit.
Comment by mka — 12/5/2008 @ 12:51 am
My uncles story: in the mining town in Nevada, he was enjoying a beer on a barstool and listenting to music, when a badass miner on the next stool found compaints about my uncles looks. When my uncle answered in a conciliatory manner the miner became bolder and louder. At some point, my uncle had to decide: is it possible to avoid trouble with this guy, or is he really going to beat me up. It got to the point where my uncle, being rational wanting protection, make the judgement. He hit the miner in the gut and then hooked him to the jaw. The miner went down, then got up, but had no fight left in him. Sometimes…
Comment by Carl Looney — 12/5/2008 @ 1:20 am
hey, the world should be realistic to it self what Iran is doing is not to help the needy but to kill who ever they could so. what are we waiting for..? Israel should go ahead with attack we know they can and their will so go on Israel God is behind you and we are too.Iran want to kill all Jews and they are not the maker of Jews so why….? is eider we do it now or after the damage so move fast.
Comment by emmanuel — 12/5/2008 @ 1:28 am
There is another alternative approach/scenario:
Israel strikes and partially, but incompletely destroys Iran’s Nuke capability setting it back a few yrs thru loss of nuclear scientists, engineers and techs and facilities.
Iran is humiliated that Tiny Israel did attack while assuring their people that Israel couldn’t/wouldn’t retaliate because the U.S is down and out and OBOBO is an Appeaser, a talker, not a doer.
Iran tries to throw all it has at Israel in retaliation, large conventional missiles targeting major cities and population centers (the UN wouild have no problem with that)maybe using Bio and Chemical WMD to ante civilian deaths way up.
This provides Israel the justification to then use tactical nukes all over Iran as repayment and the only way to end the Israeli civilian casualities. Iran is done finished and no longer a world danger.
Comment by bcrossover — 12/5/2008 @ 1:37 am
Iran is capable to strike back.Today Iran is different from Iraq war error.Playing with fire to risks,each other innocent citizen,is not worth.Why dont people live a life by respecting each other religious belief,and leaving side by side.
Isreal also must think,your might,also have limitation,dont fgt,Israel must know,if Iran decided to have that,they also will be prepared well in advance for their defence security.So nothing come easy.There will always be serious,repercussion.If they decided to use Irag as a passage flight,the world will not sit easy,and it will be US ass at take.
To my opinion,why dont Jews,Muslim,,Islam,must have one common course,Dont Be Afraid OF Your Shadow.Think of the innocents especially children.
Comment by Ritche — 12/5/2008 @ 1:39 am
You describe accurately the difficulty of such a mission for Israel both in terms of the logistical complexity (Iran’s facilities are scattered over many locations, some difficult to find and target) and in terms of the diplomatic difficulty.
However, Israel feels very much up against a wall. At some point, to worry too much about the diplomatic fallout and fail to act is to put our very existence into the hands of our enemies. I trust Israeli intelligence much more than U.S. intelligence, and Israeli intelligence dictates that there is not much time left for deliberation. The longer Israelis wait to act, the more difficult the mission would be.
You write as though a Livni government is a fait accompli. That is by no means the case. After the pig’s breakfast Kadima has made of the Second Lebanon War, the Gaza pullout, and the graft and corruption rife in this government, it is much more likely that we will see Netanyahu in the PM’s office in February.
Comment by Shimshonit — 12/5/2008 @ 2:14 am
I believe attacking iran is illegal and can be considered a terrorist attack. No country has the right to attack another country.
The point that right wing nuts fail to compute in their narrow minds is that iran, would never bomb israel with nukes even if it has stock piles of them because israel has them too. DETERENCE is the key word.
Why would iran attack israel with a single crude nuke when they know they will be hit back with a hundred nukes.
It is as clear as daylight that iran and for that matter no country will hit another nuclear country.
Soviet Union hated usa and had thousand of nukes and was probably more powerful militarily than the usa but they never attacked usa. They had the potential of wiping usa off the map and certinly had the will and motive but they never did.
So it totally doesnt make sense that iran after getting just one nuke of low yield would attack israel and risk nuclear retaliation.
Any arguement saying “why even give iran a chance” is pure hate and war mongering.
Peace
Comment by Moses — 12/5/2008 @ 2:20 am
What I don’t get is why the Israelis would leak this. It’s either the Israelis or our intel people. I get the motives of our intel. But if Israel is putting this out there: why?
Comment by michael reynolds — 12/5/2008 @ 2:25 am
I don’t know what isreal can do , Iran’s intentions are dangerous to all of us be an Iranian , zimbabwean , american whoever we want peace . i m ecourage if isreal have the capacity to destroy the site why not? No to another holocust . Its bad for history of mankind . Stop it now.
Comment by Alexio CHIHWAYI — 12/5/2008 @ 3:11 am
Why Israel is afraid of a country that hasn’t got an arsenal of killing instruments?
Why is Israel the only country in the Middle East that has atomic bombs?
Has Israel the right to do so, if that is true why the other countries are not allowed to have such criminal technology?
We, the HUMAN BEAST, because believe that we are the chosen ones, think we are superior to all the rest.
What a pity we still leaving in the Dark Ages.
Comment by Victor Manuel — 12/5/2008 @ 3:18 am
Yes, i do really support israel to do anything to thier capacity and strike iran cuz letting them make those booms will be not good to the whole world.so act fast and act now!may our lords jesus guide you in this battle.
Comment by Abraham Joseph's — 12/5/2008 @ 3:32 am
Attack Iran,
Comment by Alexander Anderson — 12/5/2008 @ 3:38 am
There’s a lot of talks going around about Iranian supposed to be nuclear capability to wipe out Israel in the near future. But can Iran afford it? I doubt so. The Americans only used their atom bombs against Japan at the last stage of WW11 and not before. I believe that no country with nukes will drop their bombs first against another country. Israel bombings of Iraq and Syria to pre-empt their nuclear capability just show to the world that Israelis are the real aggressor and no one else.
Comment by Sri Ramon Jun Quitales, 11, ISF — 12/5/2008 @ 3:51 am
Realistically speaking, what can Iran throw at Israel and the US if these countries do take out Natanz and other nuke sites. Any air assault on Iran will most likely be accompanied with the rest of Iran’s military capabilites being completely defanged. Their navy is a brown water force and Iran’s air force won’t last a week against the IDF and USAF, if that long at all. The threat to mine shipping lanes is an empty one which will be dealt with in the first few minutes of the attack being launched by America and Israel.
And Iran’s leaders might be lunatics but they are not suicidal. They will not risk their country becoming a thermonuclear wasteland by using chemical weapons. I say this is the time. Go for it before they mate nukes to their missiles.
http://soleslide.blogspot.com
Comment by VK — 12/5/2008 @ 5:03 am
You nuts Jews and Christian people are considering to NUKE Iran? I don’t think you have that guts as you poor people are having many but great chanllenges including being homeless (USA due to recession and Israel for perpetrating against Palestine) in your own country. Indeed, Israel would be wiped off the map if they attack Iran and OBAMA would never approve the attack as he is the son of a Muslim. Doesn’t make sense?
Jews already lost their fight against Hezbollah, can you imagine the consequences if attack Iran? It is easy for you to type and advise from your computer table, simply absurd to substantiate. You guys should wait for more rainy days including being wiped off. Ha …ha…
Mamun
Comment by MM Mamun — 12/5/2008 @ 6:14 am
Iran is no where near a bomb. Why doesnt any one listen to independent voices in the country. There are voices calling for reconciliation and understanding among nations. Take a look around ,listen to some of their voices you might see something else. I came accros an interesting blog a while ago . I’d like to share : http://www.ebtekarm.blogspot.com
Comment by Samantha — 12/5/2008 @ 6:59 am
Iran & Israel are both playing a “wait & see” game from a different angles. Iran is waiting to see USA action on North Korea; One of the “terror triangle” countries with Nuclear potentials.George Bush continually threathen N.korea with strikes without really backing it up,this has encourage Iran to continue on its program. while Israel on the otherhand is waiting whether USA will stop Iran or whether Iran will develop its Nuke to full capability.
The worries is, by the time Iran develop her Nuke fully and suicide bombers find themselves in position of power in Iran with the rigger in their hands bet you they will let go and it will be too late for Israel.
But honestly speaking the current “war scenerio” only reveals that mankind is not yet fully develop to resolving issues amicably without going to war. But the prophecy must be fulfilled; call it “Nostradamus war” or the battle of Armageddon since they have rejected the prince of peace-Christ Jesus.
Comment by bolu — 12/5/2008 @ 7:57 am
Is this too obvious? Israel has survived surrounded by hatred and with many guns pointed at its head. Now Iran has promised, via its president, to erase Israel from the map. Hezballah has never settled down from attacking Israel and gone into California style sand play therapy with their Israeli neighbors.
In the comments, Rehana, Ritche, Moses, Victor Manuel, Sri Ramon Jun Quitales, MM Mamun, Samantha, bolu all avert their eyes.
Is Israel supposed to welcome a second holocaust with good grace and as proper martyrs?
Not being an armchair general, I have no suggestions for how Israel defend herself from annihilation. But I can not imagine President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton or genius extraordinaire on all things foreign relations Vice-President Biden will be able to reassure Israel that everything is cool.
So far, Obama has been the Prince of Backpedal. Do you suppose that he will block Israel? His pollsters are measuring that problem right now.
I think it is patently obvious as to why Israel might be leaking intel. They know the New York Times, the CIA and State will leak it. Schumer and Biden would leak it in a New York minute.
So, they leak it and get the stage set. It is classic Pandora’s Box preparation for what must surely follow.
Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, The House of Saud, Dubai, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait do not want this mess. They also do not want the Palestinians. The Iranians are Persians and of no great interest to the Arabs. Furthermore, the Iranian Mullahs are intra-faith heavies in the Muslim world where wars are readily fought over the small differences in doxology.
Look for Iran to put thousands of woman and children around their nuclear sites, electric plants and communication hubs.
Comment by David — 12/5/2008 @ 11:08 am
Read the Bible……. There WILL be a war (a rather big one(Armageddon)) and oh Boy! are there going to be some really dead people around Israel, but Israel will NEVER..be defeated. Hahahahahaha! Fools will try, but darkness awaits them..not virgins. Oh yeah, if virgins await the dead guys, then what awaits the dead chicks? Many loads of laundry?
Comment by Joseph — 12/5/2008 @ 2:18 pm
Rick,
Looks like the left wing moonbats who know more about “hate” than any one else are now visitng your site ! Good news for you and good fun for the rest of us who dont suffer from Israel Derangement Syndrome.
Comment by Nagarajan Sivakumar — 12/5/2008 @ 7:59 pm
1. Israel will attack Iran when they are ready. They will have to make a sustained air assault over many days, since they will have to suppress Iranian air defenses, command centers, and missile launch sites. It will not be one single massive raid on the nuclear sites.
2. The IAF will not respect Iraqi airspace.
3. The US will be complicit in the attack, first, because we will not stop the IAF, and second, because we will eventually, if not immediately, be forced to join the attack.
4. We will be forced to join because we cannot let Israel fail, let her air force be decimated in Iran, and hence unable to control their own airspace effectively.
5. We will be forced to join also because we cannot let Israel be overrun by Syria, Hisbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Palestine once there is little IAF air support.
6. We will join because we will be blamed with Israel in the Arab world regardless of any denials we might try, and we will suffer heavy reprisals that we cannot ignore. Since the Iranian facilities are located close to civilian populations, there will be significant casualties that will be used to blame the US. After all, it will be observed that the attack aircraft were of US manufacture.
7. Mr Obama will have to choose between joining the war or letting Israel be srangled to death. I believe he will choose joining, not writing off our friends. His attempt a jaw-jaw in the face of a shooting war will be futile.
8. We would be well advised to join the planning now. It is my guess that we already have, but quietly.
Comment by mannning — 12/6/2008 @ 1:58 am
Joseph didnt jews killed jesus, if so what religion are you following supporting jews and reading bible verses to support them?
Not saying that jews are bad but certainly there extremist jews, extermist christians and extremist muslism. But these extremist are the ones who drag everyone else into their pathetic wars based on faith.
Comment by Moses — 12/6/2008 @ 3:24 am
Iran has stated over and over and over its intention: wipe Israel off the map.
I seem to recall a chap back in the 1920s who published a book that said the Jews should all be eliminated. Everyone said he was nuts, not serious, it’ll never happen, he can’t pull it off.
Should some Jewish defense group have assassinated Hitler in about 1932-3? Would there have been worldwide howls of outrage?
Comment by Chester White — 12/6/2008 @ 8:44 am
Moses writes: “But these extremist are the ones who drag everyone else into their pathetic wars based on faith.”
This “epiphany” hardly kept Nick Berg from having his head cut off with a dull knife or Daniel Pearl safe to report from the danger zone.
Shall we all stand back and watch the “extremists” fly hi-jacked planes into buildings, unleash genocide, and commit all manner of acts of terror.
Having identified the root cause of the problem, what is the solution? For too many, it is talk, stall, run away and hide.
I take umbrage at the term “pathetic wars.” It really doesn’t matter why a person aims a gun at your head is preparation to pull the trigger and blow your brains out. His “reason” might be “pathetic” to you, but your brain tissue is going to be all over the wall nonetheless.
Comment by David — 12/6/2008 @ 9:57 am
I would also like to point out that there is no “Israeli” opinion as they also have widely differing viewpoints. Some of the evangelic Armageddon brigades have aligned themselves with the extremist settlers and I don’t think the United States should support any of this nonsense. The Middle East needs a rational settlement not religious nutcases dictating terms (of course that also includes Islamic terrorists and extremist groups like Hezbollah).
Comment by funny man — 12/7/2008 @ 11:29 am