Israel minister: Strike on Iran could be necessary

[JEDIYoda]

Israel has come out and stated or hinted that if nobody else does something about the Iranian Nuclear threat that they -- Israel is prepared to go it alone!!
IMO it will appear as if Israel does go it alone and launches a pre-emtive strike.
Yet appearances can and will and be deceiving!!
Again as I have stated in other threads -- outwardly the world will be in a state of shock and disbelief. But under the table many nations will be applauding the actions of Israel!!


Then there are those who say that Israel does not have the ability to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran......won`t those people be surprised.....

Then we have those who say the entire world will turn its back on Israel. Yet I do not find that to be the case at all.....this will be interesting...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110530/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_israel

MOSCOW – An Israeli Cabinet minister said the civilized world must take joint action to avert the Iranian nuclear threat, including a pre-emptive strike if necessary.

Moshe Yaalon — the minister for strategic affairs — made the statement in an interview with Russia's Interfax news agency released Monday ahead of a visit to Moscow.

"We strongly hope that the entire civilized world will come to realize what threat this regime is posing and take joint action to avert the nuclear threat posed by Iran, even if it would be necessary to conduct a pre-emptive strike," Yaalon was quoted by Interfax as saying.

Yaalon wouldn't discuss who might deal the strike, saying the entire world, not just Israel, must be concerned about the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran.

"An Iran possessing nuclear weapons would be a threat to the entire civilized world," he was reported as saying.

Yaalon's spokesman Ofer Harel told The Associated Press later Monday that the minister was repeating Israel's position that all options are on the table and not calling for anybody to attack Iran.

Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but the U.S., Israel and many others believe it is cover for developing atomic weapons.

 

[yllus]

Yes, they're developing nuclear weapons. No, there isn't anything the world can do to stop them short of a full-on invasion. So it's going to happen and we'll just have to deal with it.

 

[Zebo]

They can't do it w/o obama's okay

 

[Craig234]

I largely agree with JediYoda's post.

What's forgotten in this as we rush to say we can kill anyone to deny them the same rights we demand, is how much reason we've given Iran to feel they need nukes.

And the issue of our saying 'we can have them, you can't.

The world is likely safer with Iran having nukes; Iran is likely safer from invasion WITH having them; much of the world would feel safer if we didn't have nukes.

Unfortunately, the American citizens' foreign policy is often difficult to get to be more than 'ugh, him enemy, anything done against him good'.

We *could* pursue strengthening the UN charter against aggressive war and protecting Iran from invasion, the global end of nuclear weapons...

Or we could grab the shiny thing easy to do, and just blindly back an attack.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The world is likely safer with Iran having nukes;

We're talking about the government who supports terrorists like Al Qaeda, a government who slaughters it's protesters, a government who gets rid of the "unfaithful" by criminal prosecution of sorcery. I wonder where this "world" is you say will be safer. It's not this one.

 

[irishScott]

They can't do it w/o obama's okay

Oh yes they can. It would set them back politically, but they can't risk Iran getting nukes. Better a political fire than a nuclear fire.

 

[Lemon law]

An unilateral bombing of Iran by Israel would be the stupidest thing Israel could do.

As it is Israel has delusions of grander, when the consequences for mid-stability would prove fatal.

 

[Zebo]

Oh yes they can. It would set them back politically, but they can't risk Iran getting nukes. Better a political fire than a nuclear fire.

Where are they going to fly over? All air space to Iran is controlled by USA. Then our troops are at risk to retaliation not to mention Shi'a Iraq going apeshit. They won't even think about it w/o Obama's okay. Even die hard israel supporters would want to distance from them.

That doesnt mean Obama won't, or even help. He's a lot more hawkish than most think. And his incoming National Security team are all hawks.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Yes, they're developing nuclear weapons. No, there isn't anything the world can do to stop them short of a full-on invasion. So it's going to happen and we'll just have to deal with it.

Pretty much this, we can only delay it via stuxnet and isolation for so long. No one will touch an oil rich country during the fragile economic recovery.

Hopefully, Iran's leaders are sane enough to know that Israel will burn the middle east from the face of the earth if they try to nuke them.

 

[Zebo]

BTW I've been hearing this for 7 years now...

 

[Lemon law]

I think Zebo is largely right here, about two years ago we on P&N war gamed such a Israeli strike, and it did not look practical even then. Now it looks far far worse, any possible routes through Turkey ended with Israeli boarding ship on the high seas, and any route through Saudi Arabia is no longer tenable after the Arab Spring. The House of Faud is none too happy with the changes in the Middle-east, but they know any open help they give to Israel would turn ever Arab Nation against it.

 

[Jhhnn]

Ya'alon represents extreme ultra Zionist thinking in Israel, so his raving needs to be considered in that light. It's pandering to his base in the settler movement back home.

With US complicity, Israel might well be able to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

Then what?

They lack the resources for an extended campaign lasting years, and the next thing that would happen is that Iran would eject the IAEA, pursue nuclear weapons in earnest, something they haven't been shown to be doing up to this point. It's a big country, and the Iranians are perfectly capable of establishing hardened facilities beyond the reach of Israeli aircraft. Once attacked, they've also been shown to display extreme tenacity & valor, as in the war against the Iraqi invaders. I'd expect thousands of Iranian volunteers to appear in the territories bordering Israel- well trained, armed & motivated by what would be the mideast equivalent of Pearl Harbor...

 

[Craig234]

We're talking about the government who supports terrorists like Al Qaeda, a government who slaughters it's protesters, a government who gets rid of the "unfaithful" by criminal prosecution of sorcery. I wonder where this "world" is you say will be safer. It's not this one.

That was a typo. I meant to say 'safer without Iran having nukes'.

 

[manimal]

Even discussing this for the Israelis is a lose lose situation. It gives credence and justification to the hardliners in Iran. If you look at Imadinnerjacket his sway has been waning and even angered the supreme ruler.

The Arab spring is also giving the young hope in Iran as well. Its just a matter of time at this point for all the hard liners in the ME and North Africa....

 

[Jaskalas]

On one hand I see the point of going to war to stop the kingpin of Islamic terrorism, which worships martyrdom, from obtaining nuclear weapons. People who WANT to die for their religious fanaticism should never have MAD available to them.

OTOH, Israel cannot do it alone and we will not help them. This will either not happen, or be a colossal mistake.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I think Zebo is largely right here, about two years ago we on P&N war gamed such a Israeli strike, and it did not look practical even then. Now it looks far far worse, any possible routes through Turkey ended with Israeli boarding ship on the high seas, and any route through Saudi Arabia is no longer tenable after the Arab Spring. The House of Faud is none too happy with the changes in the Middle-east, but they know any open help they give to Israel would turn ever Arab Nation against it.

Please enlighten us oh wise one on the inner thoughts of the House of Saud.

Have you new information that they are no longer considering allowing Israel access through their airspace; that they no longer fear a nuked Iran?

Where do you get the idea that Israel must have open support.
Insertion by commandos to setup fuel bladders if needed
The IAF has air-air refueling capabilities.

Selected IFF and/or radar coverage issues can easily happen and not provable. Suspicions, yes; but no one will really want to push the issue.

Syrian state of the art air defense could not detect or stop the IAF previously.

What feedback was there when Israel did the dirty deed against Iraq and Syria. None - the targets were caught with their pants down, technology and by evidence.

 

[Zebo]

Saudis hate Iranians and LL vastly overrates "arab spring" as it relates to Al Saud. Hell its overrated everywhere. Anyway that still does not change our vulnerable position Israel would put us in.

 

[Jhhnn]

Saudis hate Iranians and LL vastly overrates "arab spring" as it relates to Al Saud. Hell its overrated everywhere. Anyway that still does not change our vulnerable position Israel would put us in.

The house of Saud is nonetheless twitchy wrt the arab spring, rightfully so, and they're not about to do anything to rouse the populace against their sometimes partners, the Israelis, nor appear to be complicit with naked Israeli aggression.

The Israelis would definitely need to be able to duck back under Uncle Sam's coattails after such a thing, and I doubt they're stupid enough to do it w/o being absolutely sure the US was onboard with it. Hell- they couldn't convince the Neocon Bushistas, so I figure the chances are pretty slim today...

The Israelis are probably planning some new outrage & need to provide excuses & distractions beforehand...

 

[Sinsear]

Not only is it necessary, it's overdue.

 

[JEDIYoda]

The Israelis would definitely need to be able to duck back under Uncle Sam's coattails after such a thing, and I doubt they're stupid enough to do it w/o being absolutely sure the US was onboard with it. Hell- they couldn't convince the Neocon Bushistas, so I figure the chances are pretty slim today...

You have no clue...trust me when I say that IDF can and will go it alone with or without any assistance from the United States. The true bottom line is that if given a nuclear weapon sooner or later Iran would use it against Israel....100% fact! Then another scenario I see is even worse than the first...
Iran giving Nuclear weapons to all the nations that don`t like the United States...hmmmm

 

[Doppel]

Israel has come out and stated or hinted that if nobody else does something about the Iranian Nuclear threat that they -- Israel is prepared to go it alone!!

They've been saying this FOR YEARS. Maybe they will, maybe not, but this is not a development.

 

[JEDIYoda]

They've been saying this FOR YEARS. Maybe they will, maybe not, but this is not a development.

You see the very fact they have brought it up makes it quite a developement!

 

[EagleKeeper]

They've been saying this FOR YEARS. Maybe they will, maybe not, but this is not a development.

You see the very fact they have brought it up makes it quite a development!

Given that the statement is from a right wing cabinet minister and not from the main stream government; it is more musings than anything else.

Just like we have tea party candidates that spout off their mouth for attention, this is a similar situation.

While Israel has plans drawn up; they are not going to go public anytime near execution.

IF anything; this announcement buys Iran a few months breathing room.

 

[apathy_next2]

Whatever Iran is, I doubt Israel will go at it alone. It's just not mid east stability that is in question its pretty much all of the western world and everybody knows this which is why it hasn't been done yet.
Iran doesn't need nukes to hurt the West or Israel. They already have tons of missiles that they can easily shoot out and knock out a lot of the oil fields in many of the Mid east states and nothing can stop that.
I doubt the US/EU is ready for another big hit on the economy.
Israel is bluffing, they won't do it.

 

[Jhhnn]

You have no clue...trust me when I say that IDF can and will go it alone with or without any assistance from the United States. The true bottom line is that if given a nuclear weapon sooner or later Iran would use it against Israel....100% fact! Then another scenario I see is even worse than the first...
Iran giving Nuclear weapons to all the nations that don`t like the United States...hmmmm

That is sooo lame. US vetoes in the UN Security Council have saved Israel's bacon too many times to mention... that's a 100% fact, while your own is bullshit fearmongering speculation. And the Iranians will be giving away nuclear weapons, too! Hate Uncle Sam? Free Nukes for You!

You're a lousy propagandist- best get somebody better to step in on your behalf.