Israel Army Rehearsed for Iran strike over Gibraltar
Mohamad Shmaysani Readers Number : 374
03/05/2009 While the United States is talking about a dialogue with Iran , Israel may be preparing for the second option: Israel Air Forces planes recently staged maneuvers between Israel and the British colony of Gibraltar near southern Spain, French weekly L'Express reported over the weekend. According to the report, the exercise was carried out some 3,800 kilometers away from occupied Palestine and proves that the Israel occupation army plans to strike nuclear and sensitive sites in Iran.
Meanwhile, he Jerusalem Post has learned that Air Force reservists who operate the Arrow and Patriot missile defense systems have recently begun spending one day a week on duty to sharpen their skills, amid fears that in a conflict with Iran, dozens of long-range missiles would be fired at Israel.
"We are working hard to be ready for the Iranian threat," a top IAF officer said. "We are preparing for barrages, split warheads and other surprises and therefore we need to retain a high operational level by everyone, including reservists."
The scenarios that are drilled include the firing of large barrages at Israel from different countries at once, and the need for the operator to decide which missile to intercept first and at what stage of its flight.
"There are difficult dilemmas that the operators face when it comes to missile defense," the officer said.
Last month, the IAF held its 17th test of the Arrow 2 interceptor, shooting down a missile mimicking an Iranian Shihab ballistic missile.
Later this year, the IAF will hold an unprecedented and massive exercise with the US military to jointly test three different ballistic missile defense systems, including the Israeli-made Arrow and the American THAAD and Aegis, which will be brought specially to Israel for the exercise.
The high-powered American X-Band radar, deployed in the Negev Desert in late 2008 as a farewell gift from former President George W. Bush, participated in the recent Arrow test and tracked the incoming target.
Military sources said that it was capable of providing "several minutes" of warning from when a missile is launched from Iran and until it is supposed to land in Israel.
GATES: STRIKE ON IRAN NUKE SITES MERELY BUY TIME
US secretary of defense Robert Gates said that a military strike on Tehran's nuke facilities would merely 'buy time,' and push Iran’s program deeper underground. Gates added that UN sanctions are the 'only way to eliminate Iranian determination to have nuclear weapons.”
Two weeks ago, the London Times reported that the Israeli military was preparing to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.
"Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” the report quoted a senior defense establishment official as saying.
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid, requiring pinpoint aerial strikes, were the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack, the report said.
The Times also noted that among recent preparations by the Air Force was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.
Mohamad Shmaysani Readers Number : 374
03/05/2009 While the United States is talking about a dialogue with Iran , Israel may be preparing for the second option: Israel Air Forces planes recently staged maneuvers between Israel and the British colony of Gibraltar near southern Spain, French weekly L'Express reported over the weekend. According to the report, the exercise was carried out some 3,800 kilometers away from occupied Palestine and proves that the Israel occupation army plans to strike nuclear and sensitive sites in Iran.
Meanwhile, he Jerusalem Post has learned that Air Force reservists who operate the Arrow and Patriot missile defense systems have recently begun spending one day a week on duty to sharpen their skills, amid fears that in a conflict with Iran, dozens of long-range missiles would be fired at Israel.
"We are working hard to be ready for the Iranian threat," a top IAF officer said. "We are preparing for barrages, split warheads and other surprises and therefore we need to retain a high operational level by everyone, including reservists."
The scenarios that are drilled include the firing of large barrages at Israel from different countries at once, and the need for the operator to decide which missile to intercept first and at what stage of its flight.
"There are difficult dilemmas that the operators face when it comes to missile defense," the officer said.
Last month, the IAF held its 17th test of the Arrow 2 interceptor, shooting down a missile mimicking an Iranian Shihab ballistic missile.
Later this year, the IAF will hold an unprecedented and massive exercise with the US military to jointly test three different ballistic missile defense systems, including the Israeli-made Arrow and the American THAAD and Aegis, which will be brought specially to Israel for the exercise.
The high-powered American X-Band radar, deployed in the Negev Desert in late 2008 as a farewell gift from former President George W. Bush, participated in the recent Arrow test and tracked the incoming target.
Military sources said that it was capable of providing "several minutes" of warning from when a missile is launched from Iran and until it is supposed to land in Israel.
GATES: STRIKE ON IRAN NUKE SITES MERELY BUY TIME
US secretary of defense Robert Gates said that a military strike on Tehran's nuke facilities would merely 'buy time,' and push Iran’s program deeper underground. Gates added that UN sanctions are the 'only way to eliminate Iranian determination to have nuclear weapons.”
Two weeks ago, the London Times reported that the Israeli military was preparing to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.
"Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” the report quoted a senior defense establishment official as saying.
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid, requiring pinpoint aerial strikes, were the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack, the report said.
The Times also noted that among recent preparations by the Air Force was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.
No comments:
Post a Comment