The Times:- Israel plans on striking Iran with Tactical Nukes
 

From the Sunday Times:-
Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran
Uzi Mahnaimi, New York and Sarah Baxter, Washington


ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.
Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear “bunker-busters”, according to several Israeli military sources.

The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb.

Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open “tunnels” into the targets. “Mini-nukes” would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.

“As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished,” said one of the sources.

The plans, disclosed to The Sunday Times last week, have been prompted in part by the Israeli intelligence service Mossad’s assessment that Iran is on the verge of producing enough enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons within two years.

Israeli military commanders believe conventional strikes may no longer be enough to annihilate increasingly well-defended enrichment facilities. Several have been built beneath at least 70ft of concrete and rock. However, the nuclear-tipped bunker-busters would be used only if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States declined to intervene, senior sources said.

Israeli and American officials have met several times to consider military action. Military analysts said the disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, cajole America into action or soften up world opinion in advance of an Israeli attack.

Some analysts warned that Iranian retaliation for such a strike could range from disruption of oil supplies to the West to terrorist attacks against Jewish targets around the world.

Israel has identified three prime targets south of Tehran which are believed to be involved in Iran’s nuclear programme:


Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges are being installed for uranium enrichment

A uranium conversion facility near Isfahan where, according to a statement by an Iranian vice-president last week, 250 tons of gas for the enrichment process have been stored in tunnels

A heavy water reactor at Arak, which may in future produce enough plutonium for a bomb
Israeli officials believe that destroying all three sites would delay Iran’s nuclear programme indefinitely and prevent them from having to live in fear of a “second Holocaust”.

The Israeli government has warned repeatedly that it will never allow nuclear weapons to be made in Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has declared that “Israel must be wiped off the map

Robert Gates, the new US defence secretary, has described military action against Iran as a “last resort”, leading Israeli officials to conclude that it will be left to them to strike.
Israeli pilots have flown to Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 2,000-mile round trip to the Iranian targets. Three possible routes have been mapped out, including one over Turkey.


Air force squadrons based at Hatzerim in the Negev desert and Tel Nof, south of Tel Aviv, have trained to use Israel’s tactical nuclear weapons on the mission. The preparations have been overseen by Major General Eliezer Shkedi, commander of the Israeli air force.

Sources close to the Pentagon said the United States was highly unlikely to give approval for tactical nuclear weapons to be used. One source said Israel would have to seek approval “after the event”, as it did when it crippled Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osirak with airstrikes in 1981.

Scientists have calculated that although contamination from the bunker-busters could be limited, tons of radioactive uranium compounds would be released.

The Israelis believe that Iran’s retaliation would be constrained by fear of a second strike if it were to launch its Shehab-3 ballistic missiles at Israel.

However, American experts warned of repercussions, including widespread protests that could destabilise parts of the Islamic world friendly to the West.

Colonel Sam Gardiner, a Pentagon adviser, said Iran could try to close the Strait of Hormuz, the route for 20% of the world’s oil.

Some sources in Washington said they doubted if Israel would have the nerve to attack Iran. However, Dr Ephraim Sneh, the deputy Israeli defence minister, said last month: “The time is approaching when Israel and the international community will have to decide whether to take military action against Iran.”

Thank F*ck for the Jews

Where would we be without them?

At peace probably.

Hear hear. But I perhaps think that you should have said Israelis? We wouldn't want to be guilty of tarring all Jews with the same brush in the same way that our special relationship ally does with Muslims!



Obviously not governmental experts, as this smacks of restraint and common sense.

Will that be before or after they apply to join NATO?

Get the strength of Article 5 around you.

Agree that there is a big difference between jews and Israelis, and even perhaps between Israelis and Zionists. However (just like muslims) until mainstream jews stand up and condemn this type of action it will be perceived that they support the actions of the minority.

if this strike happens then, no matter how much the US condemns it, they will be seen as having had a major part in it. Then we'll hear the comments about how they hate the US "beacause they hate freedom" :ugh: :ugh:

...and this is news??. Tell me something we didn't know already!

yep..always a good idea. Pretend that Israel and the "international community" have the same views / goals . Should the international community also be considering action against other nations who have or are developing nuclear weapons ?

Let's be honest. Israel wants to be the biggest dog in that particular yard. Its main advantage is that it has nuclear weapons and it will do whatever it takes to keep that advantage.

Is this the same Israel that recently helped the Chinese with the design of it's latest and most advanced fighter, something to do with the 'template of the F-16? The Israel that is supported militarily by the USA - who sold Isreal the F-16? Is that the USA that is scared of China increasing military strength and technology. Is that the China that regularly sabre rattles at Taiwan and is advancing it's military strength and technology in case Taiwan goes for independence? Is that the Israel that lends Taiwan satellite time so it can spy on China?

Are we talking about the same Israel?

Nice description of a self licking lollipop there Toad!

The Israelis do have to take into consideration the fact that the Iranian PM has repeatedly said that, as soon as they have the bomb, Israel will be annihalated; and the Iranian president has said that an Israeli or western retaliatory strike would be acceptable, as the Moslem world would survive, but Israel would have been destroyed.

Things like that tend to concentrate the mind. The USA and Europe might be willing to take the chance they're bluffing, Israel cannot. I have said this on several occasions in the last 2 years on this site, but this is a train wreck taking place in slow motion. Iran won't give up their work on a bomb, the rest of the world won't stop them, Israel won't wait till they have it.

It might inconvenience those who just Israel would just go away, but they are not going to put their head on the block just to make things easier for the rest of us.

Mind you, for all their supposedly solidarity, I think Saudi and most of the Sunni nations around Iran might vociferously complain, but would actually be extremely relieved. I would not even consider it unlikely that they'd get to route direct over Saudi enroute to their targets and home.

What route did the Israelis take when they attacked the Nuclear Power Stations in Iraq?

Really? Israeli F15s at Gib? I can't see our cringing, lying, thieving corrupt government agreeing to that.

I'm somewhat suprised at the level of near Anti-semitism expressed in this thread.

I'm not Jewish, but if I was and I knew Tehran was serious which from all accounts they seem to be, I'd be voting with the buckets of sunshine. I think it might serve us well to put ourselves in Israeli shoes for a moment. It's not simply a matter of making a tactical decision in support of dimplomatic goals. ie "Top dog in this yard" It's about survival of the Israeli nation. It's also not a question of comparing the rights of Iran against those of Israel either. Iran is not a democracy..Israel is.

Where has diplomacy got us so far ? Nowhere...

I will grant there is an argument to wait and see how well opposition to Amidinajad builds in Iran, particularly given the recent local election results in Tehran. But we have seen just how perfidious Iran can be vis-a-vis Nuclear inspections, the option to destroy the Iranian facilities must remain on the table. Now, buck up, you lilly livered liberals.

ARINC,
Criticising Israel is not Anti Semitic and saying diplomacy has got us nowhere is simply incorrect.
Iran not democratic - not strictly true.
Try to remember how Iran got to it's present state. Key words for your Google search will be 1953, CIA, TP-AJAX, Shah & democratically elected & coup.

We reap what we sow.

Navaleye,
I haven't heard any reports of F-15I's in Gibraltar, that statement is obviously not true but the F-15I's have been to Decimomannu last year for several weeks, quite a few of them utilising the range facilities there... which isn't far off the 'range' they were on about in the item above.
They've had plenty of practice on long range strikes, they attacked the PLO in Tunisia with B707T support and of course Iraq's nuclear power stations...

I was just wondering what route they took for the strikes on Iraq, through Jordan or Syria?

BBC News

According to this article above, it was the Saudi.

Now, I am sure with the "issues" between Saudi and Iran playing out at present, the Saudis would not blink twice. Not sure if the scenarios are the same though, sure the Iranians are far better prepared for such a strike than the Iraqis were. The Iraq strike was during the Iran-Iraq war, so the Iraqis surely would have been looking in the wrong direction?

Apart from Brain Fade's post, which prompted immediate reactions from other posters: Where?
Do you believe that anyone who criticises Israeli government policies/actions is (near) anti-Semitic?

"I'm not Jewish ....."
Have you perhaps made the same error as Brain Fade?
Did you mean to say you aren't Israeli? ;)

"It's also not a question of comparing the rights of Iran against those of Israel either. Iran is not a democracy..Israel is."
Therefore ............... ?

I said near Anti-semitc...And what exactly has diplomacy achieved ? Unless you mean emboldended Iran ?


Do you know what the Gaurdian Council is and does ?

Jordanian and Saudi airspace apparently - did they have permission? They went unchallenged it seems. F-16s accompanied by F-15 escort.

I think I mentioned F-16 planes earlier in the thread - related to the word China.

This is a bit of a laugh isn't it?

I would argue that being Jewish uniquely implies support of the Israeli state regardless of where you live ?
It might be expressed as Jewish first xyz second.
The security of a democracy in a global context should be supported....