Israel Says Ready to Bomb Iran ~ Gates Wans Hold Off

Israel stands ready to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites
The Times of London
The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.
~ snipet~

“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,” one senior defence official told The Times.

Officials believe that Israel could be required to hit more than a dozen targets, including moving convoys. The sites include Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges produce enriched uranium; Esfahan, where 250 tonnes of gas is stored in tunnels; and Arak, where a heavy water reactor produces plutonium.
The distance from Israel to at least one of the sites is more than 870 miles, a distance that the Israeli force practised covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refuelling tankers.
The possible Israeli strike on Iran has drawn comparisons to its attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad in 1981. That strike, which destroyed the facility in under 100 seconds, was completed without Israeli losses and checked Iraqi ambitions for a nuclear weapons programme.

“We would not make the threat against Iran without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel’s willingness to act,” said another official from Israel’s intelligence community.

He added that it was unlikely that Israel would carry out the attack without receiving at least tacit approval from America, which has struck a more reconciliatory tone in dealing with Iran under its new administration.
An Israeli attack on Iran would entail flying over Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, where US forces have a strong presence.
A visit by President Obama to Israel in June is expected to coincide with the national elections in Iran — timing that would allow the US Administration to re-evaluate diplomatic resolutions with Iran before hearing the Israeli position.
Colonel Hilik Sofer told Haaretz, a daily Israeli newspaper, that the drill would “train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning … We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning”.
“Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate the threat of a nuclear Iran. According to Israeli Intelligence they will have the bomb within two years … Once they have a bomb it will be too late, and Israel will have no choice to strike — with or without America,” an official from the Israeli Defence Ministry said.

Gates warns against Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities
Los Angeles Times

Amid increasing suggestions that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned this week that such a strike would have dangerous consequences, and asserted that Tehran’s acquisition of a bomb can be prevented only if “Iranians themselves decide it’s too costly.”

Using his strongest language on the subject to date, Gates told a group of Marine Corps students that a strike would probably delay Tehran’s nuclear program from one to three years. A strike, however, would unify Iran, “cement their determination to have a nuclear program, and also build into the whole country an undying hatred of whoever hits them,” he said.

Israeli officials fear that the Islamic Republic may gain the know-how to build a bomb as early as this year. Several of them have warned that Israel could strike first to eliminate what it considers an existential threat.
Iran responded this week to the Israeli declarations, asking the United Nations to intervene to stop the threats.
One reason is that Israelis may want U.S. clearance to fly over Iraq, and possibly help with aircraft refueling or other aspects of the operation.

Though the Obama administration has not ruled out the use of military force, several officials have indicated strong opposition to using it. Last week, Vice President Joe Biden said Israel’s new conservative prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would be “ill advised” to launch a strike.

Netanyahu has also hinted at the possibility of an Israeli attack, describing the Iranian program as an “existential threat.”

Obama administration officials are exploring whether they can convince Tehran through negotiations to give up its nuclear ambitions. Officials have said they are ready to try to intensify economic and political sanctions on Iran if diplomacy doesn’t work.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Gates needs to understand something better then he seems to, when you are the stated target for elimination, you have to protect yourself. Iran has stated that they seek the obliteration of Israel.
It hasn’t occurred to Gates that the Iranian leaders already have an undying hatred of America, Americans, and Christians, and of Israel, Israelis, and Jews. My impression is that Ahmadinejad already feels the same contempt toward the Jews that Hitler felt.
Remember Defense Secretary Robert Strange McNamara , and his goal of acceptable casualty rates in Viet Nam? McNamara may have competition for what I thought was a secure position as the worst to hold that position in our history. There’s a special rung in hell for Robert McNamara!