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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Israel Says No Military Ops Against Iran Nuclear Sites
2005-11-06
The Israeli defense minister denied military intentions repeatedly when asked if Israel no longer had the military option it once had against Iraq’s Osirak reactor- because the Iranian program is too complex, too spread out and dug in too deep. Mofaz stressed that the maximum possible to delay or stop Iran’s nuclear capability must be achieved by diplomacy and UN Security Council pressure.

Also Sunday, the EU informed Tehran there will be no talks so long as Iran refuses to suspend its fuel cycle work. Talks were broken off in August after Iran resumed uranium conversion activities. Tehran has since announced it would soon embark on fresh nuclear fuel activities and was seeking foreign and domestic investors.
I suspect this means that Israel has accepted US multi-layered anti-missile defense, most likely on the prospect that if Iran launches, it missile(s) would be intercepted, then Iran would be given an ultimatum by the US and possibly others. By not conducting either a pre-emptive conventional attack, or a nuclear retaliation, Israel would be fianlly be free of its worst potential enemy. If the missile gets through, of course, all bets are off.
Posted by:Anonymoose

#15  "taking it too personally?" That is almost impossible. Human civilization as we know it may well hang on the decisions and outcomes of these next few years. I believe we are rapidly approaching a crossroads on this ME issue. The problem set has now gone global.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-06 22:31  

#14  Anonymoose, I really, really, really hope you and Besoeker and Frank are correct. Debka is not a comforting source, and I'm taking it all a little too personally, I guess. My apologies to all for that.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-11-06 22:21  

#13  Moose, that only works with a Democrat in the White House.
Posted by: RWV   2005-11-06 22:15  

#12  It's probably MAD of Israel+US against Iran.
Posted by: Phaitch Unerelet9355   2005-11-06 22:04  

#11  Actually, my projected scenario doesn't really involve Israel at all. The more important enemy, from the Iranians point of view, are any US fleets in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Mediterranean. It figures that if it could neutralize such a fleet, most likely in the straits, pinning up all oil exports; then bog down the US ground forces in southern Iraq, it could haggle its way to its main objective: to get the US out of the Middle East.

I hope this scenario never becomes reality. Harpoons to the Paks plays into this also.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-06 22:03  

#10  Zenster: for Israel, braggadocio accomplishes nothing. First of all, it is a declaration that they are a nuclear power, which opens them up to all sorts of diplomatic attacks. Second, all the Arab and Persian leaders already know that Israel is both nuclear and willing to wipe out their world. Third, and most important of all, the Mullahs don't care.

Actually, my projected scenario doesn't really involve Israel at all. The more important enemy, from the Iranians point of view, are any US fleets in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Mediterranean. It figures that if it could neutralize such a fleet, most likely in the straits, pinning up all oil exports; then bog down the US ground forces in southern Iraq, it could haggle its way to its main objective: to get the US out of the Middle East.

It figures that once the US has left in disgust, Iran has all the time in the world to attack Israel, by proxy. The death of a thousand cuts, with no nuclear weapons needed.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-11-06 21:55  

#9  The IDF did a splendid job on Osirak. Everyone groaned, whinned, and pointed... but it's still in ruins. They did us a giant favour.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-06 21:15  

#8  Whahahahaha.... something akin to a black Pitbull and a brownish, choci coloured Pitbull, lol.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-06 21:11  

#7  Please restrain yourselves from pointing out that Iran is Persian and not Arab. Their malignant shared intent makes them largely indistinguishable.
Posted by: Zenster   2005-11-06 21:04  

#6  Israel, and Israel alone, is currently in the nuclear crosshairs of a genocidal Islamist regime. The IDF owes no-f&%king-body the least explanation of what they do or do not intend to do about it. Israel is completely within its rights to notify the entire Middle East that one single nuclear capable missile with a launch track targeted upon Israel will be all that is required for them to launch-on-notice and reduce every neighboring Arab country to smoking luminescent glass.

The thundering silence of tacit Arab approval over Ahmadinejad’s threat to wipe Israel off the map deserves nothing less than an overt policy of payment in kind.
Posted by: Zenster   2005-11-06 20:59  

#5  This is based on previous experience. Remember how the US bargained with Israel not to attack Iraq in GWI by deploying serious assets to take out the SCUDs?

How much would the US offer for Israel to not use nukes?

Most likely the US has concluded a unilateral attack against Iran is too problematic, so it couldn't offer that.

But the only other thing the US could offer that would be of value to Israel is a guarantee both that Israel would be protected, and that Iran would no longer threaten them.

It is a brinksmanship threat, but a good deal for Israel. Israel reserves the right to retaliate if even a single missile gets through, so it loses nothing--it would have done that, anyway. But if it just sits on its hands and lets the US try, then it wins big time. Israel loses its last major enemy in the region.

The US, and maybe one or more of the other UNSC powers either turns against Iran, and supports the US in its action, or else they have agreed ahead of time to abstain.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-11-06 20:57  

#4  Jeeze Louise. Sure, Israel is going to say,"Hey we have a military plan under wraps and we are gonna impliment it."

You're right---Debka. Lots of strikeouts, but a few homers from time to time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-11-06 19:52  

#3  No doubt there Frank.
Posted by: Besoeker   2005-11-06 19:49  

#2  Debka.
Posted by: Hupoluper Close9298   2005-11-06 19:43  

#1  "don't count on us to do the dirty work when you refuse to act. We can protect ourselves." -Israel
Posted by: Frank G   2005-11-06 19:43  

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