|
Israeli spy satellite ditches after takeoff
An Israeli spy satellite intended to increase surveillance over Iran landed in the sea Monday after a rocket malfunction shortly after take-off, Israeli officials said. The satellite, Ofeq-6, was meant to give Israel more early warning in case of a surprise missile attack and to provide more information on Iran's extensive missile program. Ofek means "horizon" in Hebrew.Iran has already tested the Shahab-3 missile, which can reach Israel and beyond, and it is working to build nuclear weapons to mount on it, according to senior Israeli intelligence officials. "Iran wants to become a regional superpower and then a global superpower," an official said in an interview Monday. "They intend to be the latter, and this is what worries us the most." The Israelis believe that Iran wants nuclear weapons to further and bolster its flagging revolution, to provide an alternative to Egyptian secular moderation, and to challenge the military supremacy of Israel and the United States in the Middle East. "When the Iranians have enough fuel for enrichment and the technology for it, it's over," the Israeli official said. "We hope somebody will do something about it pretty soon."
Posted by: Steve White 2004-09-07 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=42564 |