More people have discovered that the infamous blogger is a charlatan. For those who want to go deeper in the issue of his last ”scoop” i found this :http://www.israellycool.com/2012/08/16/silversteins-defence-more-lies/
If using explorer, i believe the people can use the ”translate” option, from hebrew to english. Right to this moment , even BBC is embarrassed because they rush to interview him before doing a simple google check, like we all did.
Anyhow, for the fairness of the situation, we must say this: even though Silverstein actually copied that ” document ” from the site ”fresh.co.il” and presented it as an ultimate IDF leak, that sorry blogger has a merit, because he brought that ”document”-story to our attention. And why is this important? I’ll tell you why. Because the stages of the israeli operation as they are described there, sound very realistic to us. I don’t say that we have in our hands the israeli plan to annihilate Iran. But if Israel should follow this plan – and having the capabilities written there – then Iran is in deep trouble.
In fact, an israeli preemptive strike with missiles was discussed on the net in the beginning of this year.
Archive for August 16, 2012
Luis comments on “Bibi’s Secret War Plan Tikun-Olam”
August 16, 2012Ayalon: Give Iran Just Weeks To End Nuclear Programme
August 16, 2012TotallyJewish.com | News | National.
Israel’s deputy Foreign Minister this week insisted Iran should be given just a “few weeks” to cease its nuclear programme as speculation intensified over whether Israel would launch a strike against Tehran.
The comments from Danny Ayalon came amid a flurry of media reports on the issue and warnings from the Bank of Israel that military action could have dire economic consequences for the Jewish state.
One report, broadcast on Channel 2, suggested that, although a final decision had yet to be taken, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak are leaning towards authorising an attack, believing it will be too late “within months” for such action.
Newspapers in the country meanwhile quoted an Israeli official as claiming that Iran has made progress in producing a nuclear warhead.
Ayalon (pictured), referring to talks between Iran and the international community, told Israel Radio: “The international community should announce the diplomatic process with Iran a failure, today. It needs to be made clear that if they don’t halt their nuclear programme all options will be on the table, and not just on Israel’s part.”
He said that Tehran should have “weeks” to halt its nuclear activity, which Iran claims is for peaceful purposes.
Underlining his focus on the issue, Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that all threats to Israel’s home front were “dwarfed by another threat, different in scope, different in substance, and therefore I reiterate that Iran must not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons”. But despite his claim that sanctions have failed to set back “one iota” Tehran’s nuclear programme, the American administration this week said it believed there remains “time and space for diplomacy”. Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said that stronger sanctions could “be a determining factor in bringing down the Iranian regime and perhaps bring it to abandon the nuclear programme”.
The fevered speculation came as the Home Front Command tested a nationwide text system, which it is hoped will be operational from next month, designed to alert the public to missile attacks and other emergencies.
Barak: We must make Iran decision now
August 16, 2012Barak: We must make Iran decision now – Israel News, Ynetnews.
Defense minister asserts that decision on military strike against Islamic Republic must be made now; says ‘In all of Israel’s history there is no issue that has been dealt with as deeply as the issue of Iran’
Moran Azulay
|
Defense Minister Ehud Barak continued to address speculation of a possible military attack against Iranon Thursday during the Knesset plenum, and explained why a decision on Iran must be made now.
Barak said that dealing with a nuclear Iran would be incomparably more dangerous and more expensive.
“Dealing with Iran is not risk-free but in fact there are outcomes that we can’t predict.” However, Barak asserted that the government would be able to make the decision on the matter. “Any decision made, will be decided upon by the government and not civilian groups or editorials,” he said.
Speaking at the swearing in of Avi Dichter as Israel’snew Home Front Defense Minister, Barak said that “In all the wars and peacemaking (efforts) in Israel’s history, there is no issue that has been dealt with as deeply as the issue of Iran has.”
Barak further said that “there are differences of opinion, but the subject of Iran is being dealt with. Neither the First Lebanon War, nor the Second Lebanon War or even the Oslo Accords were dealt with in this manner.”
Regarding the possible strike against Iran, Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz further said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuis blatantly interfering in the US election and is “risking our children’s lives” for the sake of political survival.
Mofaz further criticized Netanyahu, claiming that the Israeli government headed by the PM has not invested enough in protecting the home front. “The new home front defense minister might have a fancy title but he has no true authority or the means to deal with such threats,” he said.
“You can cast the legal responsibility on Dichter but the moral responsibility is still on you,” Mofaz added with regards to Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu is trying to create a panic and scare us, and the truth is that we are scared – scared of his lack of judgment, scared that he is being led and not leading, but most of all, we’re scared that he is executing a policy that is both dangerous and irresponsible,” Mofaz said.
Obama initiates September meeting with Netanyahu to renew Iran dialogue
August 16, 2012Obama initiates September meeting with Netanyahu to renew Iran dialogue.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 16, 2012, 10:33 AM (GMT+02:00)
Obama initiates September meeting with Netanyahu to renew Iran dialogue
The White House has urgently contacted Jerusalem to arrange for US President Barack Obama to get together with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the next UN General Assembly session opening in New York on Sept. 18, debkafile’s Washington and Jerusalem sources report. Netanyahu is preparing a tough speech inveighing against Iran’s nuclear aspirations, its calls to annihilate the state of Israel and widespread anti-Semitism. He plans to accuse Iranian leaders of assuming the role of contemporary Nazis and call for their expulsion from the world organization.
Sources close to Obama admit that the dialogue on Iran with Israeli leaders has run its course since neither side believes it can change its opposite number’s mind. This communications cutoff is hurting the president’s campaign for reelection.
Washington’s media offensive to tie Israel’s hands against attacking Iran before voting day on Nov. 6 climaxed with the news briefing given by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey at the Pentagon Tuesday, Aug. 14. They accentuated Israel’s weaknesses and argued that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would gain very little time.
Earlier that day, the opening shot of the counter-campaign landed in the influential Wall Street Journal in an article entitled Iran Doesn’t Belong in the UN or IMF, under the bylines of former UN ambassador John Bolton and the heads of the United Against Nuclear Iran organization, Mark Wallace and Kristen Silverberg.
They wrote that by allowing Iran to use their platforms to disseminate anti-Semitic propaganda, the UN and IMF are complicit in aiding the development of the Iranian nuclear program.
The next day, the White House went into action for a meeting with Netanyahu, aware that a strong Netanyahu speech at the UN General Assembly highlighting Iran’s progress toward building a nuclear bomb and its anti-Semitism would connect with mounting anti-Iran opinion in America and show Obama in a bad light as standing against military action against Iran by the United States and, more particularly, Israel.
Even before that, damage was caused the Obama campaign by the widely-reported remarks by Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren on Wednesday, Aug. 15, asserting that Israel would be willing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, even if doing so only delayed its ability to produce nuclear weapons for a few years.
“One, two, three, four years are a long time in the Middle East — look what’s happened in the last year” in terms of political change, Oren said today at a Bloomberg Government breakfast in Washington. “In our neighborhood, those are the rules of the game.”
He went on to stress, “Diplomacy hasn’t succeeded. We’ve come to a very critical juncture where important decisions do have to be made.”
Even before Ambassador Oren’s rejoinder, Washington insiders found the Panetta-Dempsey briefing unconvincing because it essentially covered well-trodden ground without new facts. Its timing was also unfortunate, said debkafile’s Washington sources, because the White House had already set in motion arrangements for an Obama-Netanyahu meeting for putting their understandings on Iran back on course.
At the moment, they admitted, the US and Israel are no longer talking, because, “Both know that they have said all they have to say on the subject and remain divided.” But, they say, “The president can’t afford to let matters rest there. He will have to perform urgent repairs when he meets Netanyahu in September.”
That too is not plain sailing. Our sources report that while the prime minister is perfectly willing to meet Obama, he says it would be only proper for him to meet his rival for the presidency, Governor Mitt Romney, as well. The president’s emissaries object on the grounds that Romney recently visited Israel. Their Israeli interlocutors respond that the government would be happy to host Obama in Israel too, even before the presidential election. Both sides are acutely aware that he missed visiting Israel in the course of his presidency.
Gauging Iran’s friends
August 16, 2012Israel Hayom | Gauging Iran’s friends.
Last week Iran dispatched high-level envoy Saeed Jalili for a particularly controversial public relations tour in the most explosive corner of the region. After ruffling feathers during a Beirut stopover, Jalili traveled to Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, where he described the ties between Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah as an “Axis of Resistance.”
Jalili is an iconic figure, whose position as the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also affords him the role of chief negotiator for Iran’s contentious nuclear program. Amidst a deadlock in negotiations and a rehashing of threatening rhetoric, Jalili’s visit was meant to remind the Israelis that Iran’s proxies on their northern doorstep remain ready and willing to plunge the region into chaos in response to a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It appears, however, that Iran’s patrons in the eastern Mediterranean may not be as keen to the notion of going to war for the ayatollahs as they would like — and the Israelis know it.
The threat of a simultaneous war with Hezbollah, Syria, and Gaza militants remains the primary factor itching at the back of the neck of the Israeli security establishment when weighing a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Dubbed by the Israel Defense Forces “the long arm of Iran,” Hezbollah is said to possess more than 70,000 missiles that can strike as far south as Israel’s nuclear reactor near Dimona. Combining this arsenal with the more than 10,000 rockets in the Gaza Strip and Assad’s chemical weapons constitutes the most formidable threat to Israel’s homefront since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
And yet, Israeli leaders seem content to shrug off this threat. On two recent occasions, Defense Minister Ehud Barak boldly estimated that Israel would sustain 300 to 500 casualties in a conflict with Iran and its proxies. Such an estimate suggests that Barak himself does not believe that Israeli cities will bear the full brunt of Iran’s “long arm” as a consequence to a strike. Days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also dismissed the threat of regional conflict by stating that threats to the homefront are “dwarfed” by a nuclear Iran.
Judging from their own statements, Hezbollah leaders also aren’t convinced that they want to enter into a conflict with Israel at Iran’s behest. In February 2012, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said, “I tell you that the Iranian leadership will not ask Hezbollah to do anything. On that day, we will sit, think and decide what we will do.”
Nasrallah’s hesitation is understandable. Entering into broad conflict with Israel would result in even greater destruction to Lebanon than in the 2006 Second Lebanon War. This time, Hezbollah would be unable to replenish its stockpiles or rebuild destroyed villages so easily. Nasrallah’s guarantor in Damascus is on his last legs, while his primary bankrollers in Tehran have already cut funding to the group as a result of sanctions and diversion of resources to Syria. Needless to say, entering into a conflict with Israel would likely benefit Nasrallah’s sectarian rivals by neutralizing his private militia in an irreparable manner — stripping him of the only thing guaranteeing his political hegemony in Lebanon.
Next door in Syria, Assad faces similar concerns. A conflict with Israel could compromise his military advantage over an increasingly powerful rebel army, including the chemical weapons stockpiles so necessary in securing the protection of Alawite enclaves as the civil war in Syria intensifies.
Meanwhile, Iran’s relationship with militant groups in the Gaza Strip has witnessed a dramatic shift in the midst of the Arab Spring. As Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, put it, “If Israel attacks us, we will respond. If they don’t, we will not get involved in any regional conflict.”
Returning to its Sunni loyalties, Hamas seems to be cozying up to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and away from Iran. Furthermore, the trauma from Israel’s offensive in Gaza — Operation Cast Lead — in 2009, continues to keep Hamas rockets off the launching pad, in addition to a 300-strong guerrilla force employed by Hamas whose sole mission is to impede rocket attacks by smaller splinter groups against Israel.
Despite the weakened state of Iran’s proxies, an Israeli strike on the ayatollahs’ nuclear program will not be without consequence. Hezbollah and splinter Gaza militant groups are likely to attack Israel in a display of their solidarity, albeit only in a limited effort. Judging from past flare-ups, these groups fully understand Israel’s red lines, knowing exactly what ranges and what rates of rocket fire will not draw the IDF into a confrontation, which could compromise their grip on power.
It was Barbara Tuchman, the World War I historian, who once said, “War is the unfolding of miscalculations.” A century later it appears as though stability in the Middle East hinges on a dangerous equation. If Netanyahu wishes to go down in history as the prime minister who saved Israel from a nuclear Iran instead of the man who invited massive destruction upon Israel, he has very little room for error.
Daniel Nisman is an Intelligence Manager at Max Security Solutions, a risk consulting firm based in Tel Aviv. Avi Nave is a political consultant based in Tel Aviv.
‘Diplomacy with Iran has failed; it’s time for important decisions’
August 16, 2012Israel Hayom | ‘Diplomacy with Iran has failed; it’s time for important decisions’.
Responding to remarks by U.S. officials that an Israeli attack would only delay Iran’s procurement of nuclear weapons, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren says “one, two, three, four years are a long time in the Middle East” • Poll finds most Israelis don’t want their government to act without U.S. backing.
|
Ambassador Michael Oren says even a short-term delay may be important when it comes to Iran’s nuclear program.
|
Photo credit: AP
|
||||
|
Israel would be willing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, even if doing so only delayed its ability to produce nuclear weapons for a few years, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren said Wednesday.
Oren’s comments to a Bloomberg Government breakfast in Washington followed statements earlier this week by high-ranking U.S. officials who insisted that an Israeli attack would, at most, be capable of delaying Iran’s nuclear program rather than stopping it altogether.
Oren insisted that a delay in Iran’s nuclear endeavor would be a positive outcome: “one, two, three, four years are a long time in the Middle East — look what has happened in the last year” in terms of political change. “In our neighborhood,” he added, “those are the rules of the game.”
As talk of an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities tops every Israeli agenda, and with many experts saying that it is critical to debilitate Iran’s nuclear program before it reaches a point where it would be difficult to have any impact, American has repeatedly called on Israel to give diplomatic efforts and sanctions a chance to take effect. But Oren commented Wednesday, “Diplomacy hasn’t succeeded. We’ve come to a very critical juncture where important decisions do have to be made,” he said.
Asked about U.S. assessments that an Israeli attack would delay Iran’s nuclear program for no more than two or three years, Oren pointed to Israel’s 1981 bombing of the Iraqi reactor, commenting, “I’m not saying we agree or disagree. What I am saying is that — on the basis of our previous experience — is not an argument against … in the past, we have operated on the assumption that we can only gain a delay.” The military assumption in 1981 was “we would gain a delay of between one and two years on that program. To this day, Iraq does not have a nuclear weapon,” Oren said.
The Israeli ambassador insisted that Israel would be thrilled if the situation could be resolved peacefully: “No country has a greater stake in resolving this diplomatically” than Israel, Oren said, but added that the Iranians are showing no flexibility in the talks with the West over its nuclear program.
Oren reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is “progressing apace.” “An Iranian nuclear weapon is an existential threat to Israel,” he warned. “We don’t just say it. They say it as well. They confirm it.”
In an interview with Washington, D.C. area news radio station WTOP on Tuesday, Oren explained that an attack plan was on the table, but “we’re not there yet.”
Oren deflected the suggestion the U.S. could green-light an attack. “We are in close consultation and cooperation with the United States and [they] understand that we are a sovereign state. And President Obama has said he recognizes that sovereign states not only have the right and the duty to defend their citizens,” Oren told WTOP.
Poll: Israel should not attack Iran without full U.S. cooperation
Most Jewish Israelis, a total of 61 percent, don’t think Israel should attack Iran without full U.S. cooperation, according to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University released on Thursday.
The monthly tracking poll on Israeli attitudes found further that 57% of Israelis believe that recent remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, insisting that a pre-emptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is an existential necessity, are merely a tactic designed to pressure the U.S. to take more resolute action against Iran.
The majority of Jewish Israelis, 56%, said they did not think Israel would attack Iran without U.S. backing in the near future. A similar majority of Jewish Israelis believe that Western sanctions on Iran are neither serious nor sincere.
Only around a fifth of Israelis (22%) believe that Israel can rely on the promise made by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who vowed to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capability.
As the American elections approach, twice as many Israelis believe that Mitt Romney assigns more importance to Israel’s national interests than Barack Obama: 40% of the respondents put more trust in the Republican candidate than in the president, while just 19% trust in Obama more. (The rest have no definite opinion on the matter.)
Obama can talk Netanyahu out of military action, former Israeli security adviser says
August 16, 2012Uzi Dayan says an Israeli attack on Iran can still be averted by US assurances that if push comes to shove, America will be there
More sanctions on Iran and stronger assurances from the United States that it would use military force if all else fails could persuade Israel’s leaders to delay an attack on Iran, former National Security Adviser Uzi Dayan said.
In an interview with The New York Times published on Wednesday, Dayan said that since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have not yet decided on a strike, US President Barack Obama could still dissuade them from resorting to military action, but that time is running out.
“There is a window of opportunity,” said Dayan, a former deputy chief of staff in the military and currently head of the national lottery. “This window is closing, but if the United States would be much clearer and stronger about the sanctions on one hand and about what can happen if Iran won’t make a U-turn — there is not a lot of time, but there is still time to make a difference.”
Dayan was vetted as one of the potential candidates to take over as home front defense minister and spent time with both Netanyahu and Barak earlier this week. He said heard first-hand their position on Iran and other security matters.
According to Dayan, who served with both men in an elite Israeli commando unit, the prime minister and defense minister would rather have the US lead an assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities and are prepared to wait until after the forthcoming US elections in November if they believe they can rely on the American military as a last resort.
However, without the assurance of US backing, the decision to strike Iran alone must be made soon, they believe.
Despite the recent media buzz over attacking Iran and criticism that Netanyahu and Barak are gung-ho for a military strike, Dayan noted that Israel’s leaders will only go ahead with such a course of action as a last resort.
“They will make such a decision of striking only if they feel that there is no other way,” Dayan said. “They will do it only as the last, last thing, but then they will be pretty determined about it.”
Barak: Waiting on Iran would be more dangerous, complicated
August 16, 2012Barak: Waiting on Iran would be m… JPost – Diplomacy & Politics.
Defense Minsiter Ehud Barak on Thursday discussed the timing of a possible military strike on Iran, saying, “it would be much more complicated, much more dangerous and much more expensive – to deal with a nuclear[-armed] Iran in the future.”
Barak, speaking to the Knesset plenum, added that discussions surrounding the issue are unprecedented in their thoroughness.
“In all the wars and peacemaking in Israel’s history, there is no issue that has been dealt with in such depth as Iran has,” he said.
Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz on Thursday accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of a “corrupt and cynical maneuver” for appointing former Kadima MK Avi Dichter as home front defense minister. Mofaz spoke at the Knesset during a dual ceremony swearing Dichter into his new position and the Knesset’s newest MK, Ahmad Dabah, as Dichter’s replacement on the Kadima list.
“A home front defense minister should not be a rubber stamp for a hasty attack that has not been coordinated with the United States,” Mofaz said following the swearing-in.
“Mister prime minister, you are trying to scare the public and the truth is we are scared,” the Kadima chairman continued, adding, “We are scared because you are leading in such a irresponsible way.”
He continued his attack on the prime minister regarding a possible military strike on Iran, saying Netanyahu “is playing a dangerous game that will endanger our children’s future.”
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin swore in Kadima MK Ahmed Dabah just moments before Mofaz spoke.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dabah said he is “proud to be a part of the Knesset representing the country where I, my children and grandchildren were born.”
Addressing the position of Arabs in Israel, Dabah, who is the 17th non-Jewish member of the Knesset, noted that representation of minorities has grown in the legislative body. “We’ll fight for equality and respect for Arab citizens,” he said.
Dabah joined the Likud in 1992, and broke off from the party with former prime minister Ariel Sharon. Kadima insiders say he was placed high on Sharon’s never-published list for the 17th Knesset, but was pushed to the 51st spot by former prime minister Ehud Olmert.
Kadima’s list for the 18th Knesset had Dabah in the 36th spot. The faction has 28 seats in the Knesset, and Dabah is Kadima’s seventh replacement-MK since 2009.
Dabah has nine children, and owns a chain of supermarkets and a slaughterhouse. Formerly, he was not only the mayor of Deir-el- Assad, but also head of the Shagur Local Council.
Lahav Harkov and JPost.com staff contributed to this report.
Khamenei: Zionist regime will disappear from map
August 16, 2012Khamenei: Zionist regime will di… JPost – Iranian Threat – News.
With the US sending clear public signals to Israel that it is opposed to military action now against Iran, and a cacophonous debate on the matter in Israel, senior Iranian officials continue to threaten Israel with destruction.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that he was confidant “the fake Zionist (regime) will disappear from the landscape of geography,” Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.
Khamenei made the comments during a meeting with veterans of the Iran-Iraq War.
“The light of hope will shine on the Palestinian issue, and this Islamic land will certainly be returned to the Palestinian nation,” Khamenei was quoted as saying.
Earlier on Wednesday Brig.- Gen. Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran’s Passive (civil) Defense Organization and a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, during a speech ahead of Al-Quds Day, an anti-Israel event initiated by Iran, said that in order to liberate Palestine there was no other option but to destroy Israel.
“[Al-Quds Day] is a reflection of the fact that no other way exists apart from resolve and strength to completely eliminate the aggressive nature and to destroy Israel,” Jalali said, according to a report by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
The report was also picked up by other news outlets including Mashregh News, which is affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards.
Al-Quds Day is an annual Iranian anti-Zionist event established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini and which falls this year on August 17. Iran also seeks to export the event to other Muslim countries.
Jalali said that the message of Khomeini’s Al-Quds Day initiative was that the Muslim world must support the “oppressed people of Palestine” in a show of resistance against “the Zionist usurpers.”
The Passive Defense Organization head added that the Islamic Revolution was a “beacon of light” and that the plight of the Palestinians was not forgotten.
Calling on Muslims to rally on Al-Quds Day, he expressed hope that the Islamic world would be “strong against the Zionist threat,” adding that the “Islamic front in Syria has been strengthened,” presumably a reference to Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.
An Israeli government official responded to Jalali’s comments by saying it was simply a “reaffirmation of what we continually hear from the Iranian leadership.”
The official said that the statement was “not an aberration,” and that Israel was taking the Iranian threat very seriously. “We urge others to do the same,” he said. “The Iranians use unequivocal language, and their words speak for themselves.”
The official said that it would be in the interest of Iran’s leadership to rein in these comments in at this time to reduce international pressure, and the fact that Iran’s leaders continue to utter such remarks just shows the degree to which they actually believe them.
The official, meanwhile, dismissed a report on a left-wing, anti-Netanyahu blog called Tikun Olam Wednesday purporting to have “an Israeli briefing document outlining Israel’s war plans against Iran.” The blogger, Richard Silverstein, said the document “feels” like it came “from the shop of national security advisor Yaakov Amidror, a former general, settler true believer and Bibi confidant. It could also have been produced by Defense Minister Barak, another pro-war booster.”
According to Silverstein the document talks about a coordinated strike that will include an “unprecedented cyber-attack” that will totally paralyze the Iranian regime, as well as a barrage of ballistic missiles launched from Israel and Israeli submarines near the Persian Gulf. IAF planes, according to the “document,” will be armed with electronic warfare gear previously unknown even to the US that will render the planes “invisible.”
One government official said there is “a lot of press speculation out there, and everyone has their ‘secret source.’ It is not the government’s policy to comment on any piece of speculation.”
Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.
Oren: Setting Iran back by only a few years still worth strike
August 16, 2012Oren: Setting Iran back by only a few years still worth strike | The Times of Israel.
Ambassador to US says Israel cannot afford to wait to hit Iranian nuclear sites
Israel’s ambassador to the US said Wednesday that Israel would be willing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, even if doing so only set their program back a few years.
Speaking to Bloomberg in Washington, Michael Oren said that gaining even a little extra time would be worth a military operation against Tehran’s program, which Israel maintains is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon and not for civilian use as the Islamic Republic claims.
“One, two, three, four years are a long time in the Middle East — look what’s happened in the last year” Oren said, referring to the Arab Spring and the on-going political upheaval in the region. “In our neighborhood, those are the rules of the game.”
The comments were likely a brush back against statements made by US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Martin Dempsey the day before. Dempsey said that an Israeli strike would only set back Iran’s nuclear program by one year.
Oren said Israeli officials in 1981 believed a strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear facility would only set Baghdad back by one or two years. The Israeli Air Force destroyed Iraq’s reactor on June 7, 1981, in an attack criticized around the world.
“To this day, Iraq does not have a nuclear weapon,” Oren said.
Officials, notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have used the Osirak case as proof that an Israeli strike can be effective.
The US is reportedly working to stop a unilateral strike by Israel, with Israel’s Channel 10 news claiming that US President Barack Obama will reportedly offer Israel assurances that Washington will back Jerusalem if it is willing to give sanctions and diplomatic measures more time to work.
Reports in Israel have ramped up in recent weeks that Israel is looking to hit Iran in the early fall, before the US presidential election. According to reports, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are proponents of a strike, though much of the military brass opposes the move.
Oren said the timing was not meant to force Obama’s hand and drag the US into a war, as some reports have suggested.
“The issue is not the American elections,” he stated. “The issue is the degree to which the Iranian program has reached a critical point where they can begin to put together nuclear weapons.”
On Wednesday, Dempsey and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta seemed to launch a renewed public offensive against an Israeli strike, telling reporters that Israel had not decided to strike and going it alone would fail to cause much damage to Iran’s nuclear program.
A joint strike with US involvement is believed to be the preferred option, as the US reportedly possesses weapons that could destroy nuclear facilities buried deep underground, like the Fordo nuclear plant south of Tehran.
On Friday, White House spokesman Jay Carney reiterated Washington’s stance, that sanctions and diplomacy must be given time to work and that Iran had not yet “broken out” toward a bomb.
Oren rebuffed those claims, saying several rounds of diplomatic efforts have borne no fruit. “Iranians show no signs of flexibility in negotiations,” he said.
anneinpt
artaxes
danmillerinpanama
davidking1530
Peter Hofman
Joseph Wouk
Peter
Louisiana Steve
WarSclerotic 
Recent Comments