This airstrike is starting to look legit more and more on Iranian Nuke sites. Not only that, I fully believe that Israel can and will pull it off. The world is entering the Age of Aquarius, what we call Yemot Hamoshiach...We Are There, and the transition is happening...it may take time, it is just that: a transition...our job is to go though it as explained by the Vilna Gaon.
Over the past several days, Hebrew media reports have been engaged in intense speculation regarding a possible imminent Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared to have made a veiled reference to the issue again on Tuesday, when he told the Knesset that Israel may have to protect its vital interests alone, while other reports focused on comments by Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who stated this week that difficult decisions were “keeping him up at nights,” without elaborating further.
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Israel is believed to have a fully prepared plan to launch such a strike, which would likely involve at least several hundred aircraft.
Multiple aerial routes are theoretically available for Israeli aircraft to reach targets in Iran. In all those paths though, the jets would likely have to either neutralize or evade radar systems of other countries along the route, as well as face the potential fallout that could follow an intrusion of foreign airspace.
Israel also possesses the advanced midair refueling capabilities required for carrying out sorties over multiple Iranian targets situated between 1,500 and 2,000 km.
away from home. Possible targets could include uranium- enrichment sites at Natanz and Qom, the uranium- conversion plant at Isfahan, and a heavy water reactor in Arak suspected of being used to pursue a plutoniumbased nuclear arms program, as well as additional facilities.
But getting there is only half the story.
The Air Force, which according to foreign reports has gone on dry runs to practice such an attack on previous occasions over the past decade, would first have to neutralize Iran’s aerial defense capabilities, blind Iran’s radars, destroy command and control centers and paralyze Iran’s own air force for a while, before overcoming fortifications and special aerial defense measures placed by the Iranians around their nuclear sites. The operational challenge is vast.
The Air Force would in effect have to take temporary control over sections of Iran’s airspace before being able to target nuclear facilities, some of which are hidden in mountains or deep underground.
The mission would require the use of powerful bunker-busting bombs, as well as possible repeated strikes to ensure success.
According to a Newsweek article from September, the US has already transferred 55 such bombs to Israel.
The attack would likely be coordinated with the assistance of Israeli intelligence satellites that could provide real time detailed images from the battle arena, as well as Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft.
It could also involve the use of a fleet of giant Heron 2 drones, which are the size of 737 commercial airliners.
These UAVs form the first line of defense against an expected Iranian counterstrike, involving the launch of long-range Shihab 3 missiles.
The Israeli drones can reportedly reach Iran and hover over missile launch sites. Israel’s Arrow missile defense shield would also come into play to intercept missiles heading into Israeli airspace.
However, such a strike would undoubtedly touch off conflict with Iran’s proxy in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah, which is armed with tens of thousands of rockets, as well as Hamas in Gaza, and possibly with Syria. The resulting chain of events could easily lead to a major regional war and long-term instability, so much so that some senior Israeli defense figures have reportedly been rejecting the idea of attacking Iran for years.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared to have made a veiled reference to the issue again on Tuesday, when he told the Knesset that Israel may have to protect its vital interests alone, while other reports focused on comments by Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who stated this week that difficult decisions were “keeping him up at nights,” without elaborating further.
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Israel is believed to have a fully prepared plan to launch such a strike, which would likely involve at least several hundred aircraft.
Multiple aerial routes are theoretically available for Israeli aircraft to reach targets in Iran. In all those paths though, the jets would likely have to either neutralize or evade radar systems of other countries along the route, as well as face the potential fallout that could follow an intrusion of foreign airspace.
Israel also possesses the advanced midair refueling capabilities required for carrying out sorties over multiple Iranian targets situated between 1,500 and 2,000 km.
away from home. Possible targets could include uranium- enrichment sites at Natanz and Qom, the uranium- conversion plant at Isfahan, and a heavy water reactor in Arak suspected of being used to pursue a plutoniumbased nuclear arms program, as well as additional facilities.
But getting there is only half the story.
The Air Force, which according to foreign reports has gone on dry runs to practice such an attack on previous occasions over the past decade, would first have to neutralize Iran’s aerial defense capabilities, blind Iran’s radars, destroy command and control centers and paralyze Iran’s own air force for a while, before overcoming fortifications and special aerial defense measures placed by the Iranians around their nuclear sites. The operational challenge is vast.
The Air Force would in effect have to take temporary control over sections of Iran’s airspace before being able to target nuclear facilities, some of which are hidden in mountains or deep underground.
The mission would require the use of powerful bunker-busting bombs, as well as possible repeated strikes to ensure success.
According to a Newsweek article from September, the US has already transferred 55 such bombs to Israel.
The attack would likely be coordinated with the assistance of Israeli intelligence satellites that could provide real time detailed images from the battle arena, as well as Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft.
It could also involve the use of a fleet of giant Heron 2 drones, which are the size of 737 commercial airliners.
These UAVs form the first line of defense against an expected Iranian counterstrike, involving the launch of long-range Shihab 3 missiles.
The Israeli drones can reportedly reach Iran and hover over missile launch sites. Israel’s Arrow missile defense shield would also come into play to intercept missiles heading into Israeli airspace.
However, such a strike would undoubtedly touch off conflict with Iran’s proxy in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah, which is armed with tens of thousands of rockets, as well as Hamas in Gaza, and possibly with Syria. The resulting chain of events could easily lead to a major regional war and long-term instability, so much so that some senior Israeli defense figures have reportedly been rejecting the idea of attacking Iran for years.
I have said and still say, the Zohar Tekufa is real, and we should pay close attention to 5772. Remember that every year extends until Chanuka (also the idea of 2012=5772/3), and there is the view of Jewish Time having a 2-year +/- ratio. We dont predict the Keitz, but one must know how to view Jewish Time nonetheless, and Jewish Time says we are going through something..One must Hope its what we all have been waiting for: Moshiach Tzidkenu.
5772.Moshiach.Jerusalem.
Posted in: 5772,Moshiach,Politics,Torah
6 comments :
Iran would cause serious damage to the United States and Israel should the latter launch an attack on the Islamic Republic, Iran's top military official said on Wednesday.
The "Zionist regime's military attack against Iran," Chairman of Iran's Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Hassan Fayrouz Abadi said, would lead to "heavy damages to the US as well as [to the] Zionist regime," Iranian news agency ISNA reported.
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Iran would attack Israel in a "surprising" way, he was quoted by Army Radio as saying.
Talk of a potential Israeli strike on Iran took a new turn Wednesday when four government ministers publicly slammed Israeli media for discussing the possibility of an IDF strike on the Islamic Republic.
Also on Wednesday, Israel announced the successful launch of a rocket propulsion system, which Israel Radio called a ballistic missile and cited foreign media reports in suggesting it could be fitted with a nuclear warhead.
Israel has for years warned of Iran's intentions to build a nuclear weapons program. Often repeating the mantra, all options are on the table, Israeli media in recent days has suggested that a military strike may be near.
The Israel Air Force completed a large-scale drill with Italy and NATO over the Italian island of Sicily in recent days. Details of the exercise were released on Wednesday, in the shadow of intensive media reports over a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program.
Li.-Col. Y, commander of the 117th Squadron of F-16 fighter jets which took part in the simulation, said his pilots flew over ocean waters west of Italy and carried out maneuvers together with the Italian air force.
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"We simulated a common enemy. The cooperation between us and the Italians was very good," the pilot said.
The 14 Israeli jets that took part in the drill flew in an area encompassing 800 kilometers (500 miles).
The drill was planned six months in advance, and ended last week. Pilots flew in a variety of formations and practiced striking simulated targets.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel carried out a test launch of a rocket propulsion system from the Palmachim Air Force Base.
The smoke trail from the launch was seen by many residents of central Israel in the morning sky.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, on a trip to the UK to meet with the British defense establishment, congratulated the defense community for the successful test-firing of a missile on Wednesday.
"This is an impressive technological achievement, and an important step in Israel's advancement in the field of missiles and space, which has been planed for a long time," Barak said.
"The successful test is further evidence of the the highest level of engineers, technicians, and members of the Israeli defense industries."
A Defense Ministry official declined to comment on the type of rocket tested. But Israel Radio's military affairs correspondent said a ballistic missile was launched.
In 2008, a two-stage, long-range ballistic missile was successfully test-fired.
Israel is widely believed to have Jericho missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, civilian "Shavit" rockets used to launch satellites and the Arrow missile interceptor, according to Reuters.
Israel successfully test-fired on Wednesday a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and striking Iran, fanning a public debate over whether the country's leaders are agitating for a military attack on Tehran's atomic facilities.
While Israeli leaders have long warned that a military strike was an option, the most intensive round of public discourse on the subject was ignited over the weekend by a report in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper that said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak favor an attack.
That was followed by a report in the Haaretz daily Wednesday that Netanyahu is now lobbying Cabinet members for an attack, despite the complexity of the operation and the high likelihood it would draw a deadly retaliation from Iran. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a sensitive policy discussion, said Netanyahu does not yet have a majority.
An Israeli defense official told The Associated Press that the military tested a "rocket propulsion system" in an exercise planned long ago. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of security restrictions, and declined to give further information.
Further information about the test was censored by the military. Foreign reports, however, said the military test-fired a long-range Jericho missile — capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and striking Iran.
Israel considers Iran its most dangerous threat. It cites Tehran's nuclear program, its ballistic missile development, repeated references by the Iranian leader to Israel's destruction and Iran's support for anti-Israel militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran denies the allegations that it aims to produce a bomb, saying its nuclear program is meant only to produce energy for the oil-rich country. It has blamed Israel for disruptions in its nuclear program, including the mysterious assassinations of a string of Iranian nuclear scientists and a computer virus that wiped out some of Iran's nuclear centrifuges.
Israel has repeatedly said that it hopes economic sanctions will persuade Iran to halt its nuclear program. Israeli diplomats have been lobbying the international community for tougher sanctions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking cabinet support for a military strike on Iran, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday, after days of speculation about plans for an attack.
The report, citing a senior Israeli official, said Netanyahu was working with Defence Minister Ehud Barak to win support from sceptical members of the cabinet who oppose attacking Iranian nuclear facilities.
It came after days of renewed public discussion among Israeli commentators about the possibility that the Jewish state would take unilateral military action against Iran.
It also came as Israel successfully tested what local media called a "ballistic missile" which a defence ministry official described to AFP as a "test firing of the rocket-propulsion system" which he said had long been scheduled. He did not give further details.
Haaretz, which like public radio described the weapon as a ballistic missile, quoted the ministry as saying that the test was unrelated to talk of a strike on Iran.
Iran's military chief, General Hassan Firouzabadi, warned on Wednesday that his country would "punish" any Israeli strike against it.
"We consider any threat -- even those with low probability and distant -- as a definite threat. We are on full alert," he said, quoted by Fars news agency.
"With the right equipment, we are ready to punish them and make them regret (committing) any mistake," he said.
Haaretz said that Netanyahu and Barak had already scored a significant win by convincing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to throw his support behind a strike.
But the newspaper cited the senior Israeli official as saying there was still "a small advantage" in the cabinet for those opposed to an attack.
Among those still opposed, Haaretz said, are Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor, Strategic Affairs Minister and Netanyahu confidant Moshe Yaalon, and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
Media reports say any strike is also opposed by army chief Benny Gantz, the head of Israel's intelligence agency Tamir Pardo, the chief of military intelligence Aviv Kochavi and the head of Israel's domestic intelligence agency Yoram Cohen.
On Monday, Barak was forced to deny media reports that he and Netanyahu had already decided to launch an attack against Iran over the opposition of military and intelligence chiefs.
"It doesn't take a great genius to understand that in 2011 in Israel, two people cannot decide to act by themselves," he said.
"There are at the ministry of defence and the prime minister's office thousands of pages of minutes of the discussions that have been had in the presence of dozens of officials and ministers," he added.
On Tuesday, Barak appeared to suggest in remarks to parliament that Israel could be forced to act alone against Iran.
"A situation could be created in the Middle East in which Israel must defend its vital interests in an independent fashion, without necessarily having to reply on other forces, regional or otherwise," he said.
Haaretz said no decision had yet been taken on any military strike, and that a November 8 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear watchdog would have a "decisive effect" on the decision-making process.
The newspaper also cited Western specialists as saying any attack on Iran during the winter would be almost impossible because of thick cloud cover, raising questions about when any military action might be launched.
Israel has consistently warned all options remain on the table when it comes to Iran's nuclear programme, which the Jewish state and Western governments fear masks a drive for nuclear weapons.
An Israeli military official says Israel has authorized its military to take steps to stop rocket fire from Gaza, including a ground operation.
The official spoke Tuesday after Israeli Cabinet ministers discussed a spike in rocket fire from Gaza.
He said ministers approved military operations ranging from surgical strikes on Palestinian militants to a broad ground offensive.
He was talking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The decision stopped short of ordering a ground assault. Rocket fire has all but stopped over the past day.
Egyptian officials said Israel agreed to put off wider operations in Gaza to give Egypt time to get Palestinian militants to stop rocket fire.
Violence flared when Gaza militants pounded southern Israel with rockets and Israel hit back with airstrikes.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Egyptian official said Tuesday that Israel has agreed to briefly delay expanding its military operations in the Gaza Strip to give Egypt time to try to persuade Palestinian militant factions to halt rocket fire on southern Israel.
Israeli aircraft have targeted rocket squads in Gaza in recent days, but the Egyptian official says Israel has also planned a wider operation. The official says Egypt asked for 24 hours to try to bring all factions into an informal cease-fire and Israel agreed to give Cairo until around midnight Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Egyptian mediation.
The Israeli defense ministry had no immediate comment.
The military said there have been no Israeli airstrikes since around midnight Monday. Two rockets were fired from Gaza during that time. The relative calm prevailed through Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned from the podium of the Israeli parliament that Israel would operate "vigorously and resolutely" against those who would threaten its security.
"A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone," Netanyahu said. "It must also include offensive capabilities, the very foundation of deterrence."
Netanyahu summoned his top leadership for a closed meeting to discuss Gaza on Tuesday afternoon.
The recent flare in violence has been the worst in the area in months, killing at least 10 militants and an Israeli civilian.
The attacks have disrupted life in southern Israel, forcing schools to close. About 1 million Israelis live within range of rockets from Gaza.
The Islamic Jihad faction had led the rocket attacks that began last week, but on Sunday agreed to stop the violence if Israel also did. Rocket fire that drew retaliatory Israeli airstrikes persisted afterward, but it was claimed by a different militant group, the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The British military is accelerating planning for its part in a potential US-led attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, The Guardian reported on Wednesday, days after the UK's military chief visited Israel.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak is currently in London on a state visit, where he met with senior officials, including British National Security Advisor Sir Peter Ricketts.
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The Iranian nuclear threat is believed to be at the top of the agenda of talks between Barak and British officials.
According to the Guardian report, the UK Ministry of Defense believes the US may have intensified plans for targeted missile strikes of Iranian nuclear targets.
The newspaper quoted British officials as saying that the UK would assist the US in such a mission. Britain is reportedly examining locations for mobilizing its Royal Navy ships and submarines to assist a possible American aerial and naval campaign against Iran.
Washington could also ask London for permission to use the British island of Diego Gacria, in the Indian ocean, as a base of operations.
Meanwhile, an army source told The Jerusalem Post that British military chief Sir David Richards visited Israel this week.
Richards was a guest of IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, the source said.
He arrived as "part of an annual visit" aimed at maintaining international cooperation, the source said. The source did not disclose the content of talks held by Richards and Israeli officials.
The visit was not announced earlier because it is standard practice in Britain to refrain from publicizing such visits while they occur.
The army source confirmed that "no announcement was released" during Richards' arrival.
"The IDF has a system of international cooperation which sees foreign figures visit Israel," the source added.
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