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Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
US denies Israeli request for bunker busters |
2008-09-12 |
The United States has turned down an Israeli request for "bunker buster" bombs and mid-air refueling planes for fear they could be used to attack Iran, according to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper. The U.S. administration also refused to give permission for Israeli fighter jets to fly over Iraq -- the quickest route to Iran, it said. Military experts believe the GBU-28 "bunker busters" Israel had requested could be effective against Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz in central Iran. The GBU-28 is a 2.2-ton, laser-guided, conventional munition equipped with a powerful warhead that can burrow through more than six meters (20 feet) of concrete and up to 30.5 meters (100 feet) of hard ground. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month that the United States "do not want, for the time being, any (military) action against Iran" but that Israel kept all options open. While denying the requests for "bunker-buster" bombs and refueling planes, the U.S. administration has agreed to help reinforce Israel's defenses. An advanced U.S. radar system is to be stationed in Israel which would double the 2,000-kilometer (1,250-mile) detection range of missiles launched from Iran. |
Posted by:Fred |
#18 Mercutio, You obviously haven't been here long. TW is the soul of decorum, tact and politesse...until a commenter goes too far. Go read Kipling's "The Female of the Species" for some insight here. I've never actually seen anyone make a garrote from a tea cozy. With TW however, I wouldn't put it past that lady a bit should she deem such an action necessary. She doesn't go off very often but when she does it's a clinic on how to do verbal vivisection. The regular posters here just stand back and watch with great respect. The trolls who are on the receiving end...well, we don't usually ever see them again. |
Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-09-12 23:06 |
#17 Mercutio... hummmm ~:) |
Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-12 22:04 |
#16 Keyboards are unfortunately an occupational hazard for Rantburgers, Mercutio dear. I think you're my first -- how exciting! |
Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-12 14:35 |
#15 "a limp noodle.." TW__ that is the harshest thing I think I have ever seen you post.... and you owe me a new keyboard...... /m/ |
Posted by: Mercutio 2008-09-12 14:27 |
#14 So when a bunch of bunker busters are used by planes refueled in mid-air, everyone will know the return address? |
Posted by: Perfesser 2008-09-12 13:03 |
#13 Build your own, guys, we don't want our fingerprints on 'em. |
Posted by: mojo 2008-09-12 12:28 |
#12 Nothing in their hands. Nothing up their sleeves. I expect them to pull a quarter out of Ahmanutjob's ear any time now. |
Posted by: Darrell 2008-09-12 11:01 |
#11 Ummmm... maybe it's because we think were going to need them all ourselves... Blackvenom-2001 |
Posted by: Blackvenom-2001 2008-09-12 10:09 |
#10 This is ridiculous. At least two years ago we gave them a butt-load of bunker busters, and I think it is highly unlikely that they converted them into attractive and useful flowerpots. |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-09-12 09:51 |
#9 United States has turned down an Israeli request for "bunker buster" bombs and mid-air refueling planes Wasn't Israel already working on developing mid-air refueling platforms? I think we already gave them a few KC-10s???, and were just working on training them. This has 'plausible deniability' written all over it. |
Posted by: Anon4021 2008-09-12 09:29 |
#8 This is just propaganda for the middle east. To think that Israelie intel can not get their hands on the build spec and produce them is foolish. But then probably put the specs in the official denial letter. |
Posted by: 49 Pan 2008-09-12 08:35 |
#7 I thought we sold Israel bunker busters following that little excitement in Lebanon, back when we didn't realize what a limp noodle Prime Minister Olmert really was. |
Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-12 08:07 |
#6 Maybe Israel should consider buying that stuff from Russia, or China, or France. We interfere with Israeli politics too much, and not just on this issue. That damned middle east peace "road map" will be the death of them all. |
Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-09-12 06:41 |
#5 SOBER AS A JUDGE: WE MUST GIVE THE ISRAELIS ALL THE "STUFF" THEY NEED FOR SUCCESSFUL RAIDS ON IRAN. The failure to do so will lead directly to a Holocaust AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN!! |
Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-12 03:42 |
#4 Yea the legs of the merlot reflect off the stealth cants and drive you thirsty AS HELL BY DESIGN.... I sTHINK Anyways! |
Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-12 03:33 |
#3 F-117A Uh, yeah. I blame the stealthyness. And maybe the merlot. |
Posted by: SteveS 2008-09-12 01:44 |
#2 I thought the airplane in the pic was an F-117A. |
Posted by: Steve White 2008-09-12 01:21 |
#1 Nope, you can't have any. And don't be taking any when we go to lunch in 15 minutes. And put that hand cart back when you're done with it. So, given that we have Al Arabiya, the Israeli Defense Minister and the US State Dept all together here, is the story they are presenting true, false or maskirova and how do you tell? They are quite specific about the capabilities of the GBU-28 and it's (published) penetration depth. Nice B-2 pic at the link, btw. |
Posted by: SteveS 2008-09-12 01:13 |