Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran

By Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv, and Sarah Baxter, Washington

12/11/05
"<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1920074_2,00.html>The
Times" -- -- ISRAEL’S armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the
prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on
secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have
revealed.

The order came after Israeli intelligence warned the government that
Iran was operating enrichment facilities, believed to be small and
concealed in civilian locations.

Iran’s stand-off with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
over nuclear inspections and aggressive rhetoric from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
the Iranian president, who said last week that Israel should be moved
to Europe, are causing mounting concern.

The crisis is set to come to a head in early March, when Mohamed
El-Baradei, the head of the IAEA, will present his next report on Iran.
El-Baradei, who received the Nobel peace prize yesterday, warned that the
world was “losing patience�?with Iran.

A senior White House source said the threat of a nuclear Iran was
moving to the top of the international agenda and the issue now was: “What
next?�?That question would have to be answered in the next few months,
he said.

Defence sources in Israel believe the end of March to be the “point of
no return�?after which Iran will have the technical expertise to enrich
uranium in sufficient quantities to build a nuclear warhead in two to
four years.

“Israel ­ and not only Israel ­ cannot accept a nuclear Iran,�?Sharon
warned recently. “We have the ability to deal with this and we’re making
all the necessary preparations to be ready for such a situation.�?

The order to prepare for a possible attack went through the Israeli
defence ministry to the chief of staff. Sources inside special forces
command confirmed that “G�?readiness ­ the highest stage ­ for an operation
was announced last week.

Gholamreza Aghazadeah, head of the Atomic Organisation of Iran, warned
yesterday that his country would produce nuclear fuel. “There is no
doubt that we have to carry out uranium enrichment,�?he said.

He promised it would not be done during forthcoming talks with European
negotiators. But although Iran insists it wants only nuclear energy,
Israeli intelligence has concluded it is deceiving the world and has no
intention of giving up what it believes is its right to develop nuclear
weapons.

A “massive�?Israeli intelligence operation has been underway since Iran
was designated the “top priority for 2005�? according to security
sources.

Cross-border operations and signal intelligence from a base established
by the Israelis in northern Iraq are said to have identified a number
of Iranian uranium enrichment sites unknown to the the IAEA.

Since Israel destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981, “it
has been understood that the lesson is, don’t have one site, have 50
sites�? a White House source said.

If a military operation is approved, Israel will use air and ground
forces against several nuclear targets in the hope of stalling Tehran’s
nuclear programme for years, according to Israeli military sources.

It is believed Israel would call on its top special forces brigade,
Unit 262 ­ the equivalent of the SAS ­ and the F-15I strategic 69
Squadron, which can strike Iran and return to Israel without refuelling.

“If we opt for the military strike,�?said a source, “it must be not
less than 100% successful. It will resemble the destruction of the
Egyptian air force in three hours in June 1967.�?

Aharon Zeevi Farkash, the Israeli military intelligence chief, stepped
up the pressure on Iran this month when he warned Israel’s parliament,
the Knesset, that “if by the end of March the international community
is unable to refer the Iranian issue to the United Nations security
council, then we can say the international effort has run its course�?

The March deadline set for military readiness also stems from fears
that Iran is improving its own intelligence-gathering capability. In
October it launched its first satellite, the Sinah-1, which was carried by a
Russian space launcher.

“The Iranians�?space programme is a matter of deep concern to us,�?said
an Israeli defence source. “If and when we launch an attack on several
Iranian targets, the last thing we need is Iranian early warning
received by satellite.�?

Russia last week signed an estimated $1 billion contract ­ its largest
since 2000 ­ to sell Iran advanced Tor-M1 systems capable of destroying
guided missiles and laser-guided bombs from aircraft.

“Once the Iranians get the Tor-M1, it will make our life much more
difficult,�?said an Israeli air force source. “The installation of this
system can be relatively quick and we can’t waste time on this one.�?

The date set for possible Israeli strikes on Iran also coincides with
Israel’s general election on March 28, prompting speculation that Sharon
may be sabre-rattling for votes.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the frontrunner to lead Likud into the elections,
said that if Sharon did not act against Iran, “then when I form the new
Israeli government, we’ll do what we did in the past against Saddam’s
reactor, which gave us 20 years of tranquillity�?

TEHRAN MINISTER MET MILITANTS BEFORE NEW OFFENSIVE

Iran’s foreign minister met leading figures from three Islamic militant
groups to co-ordinate a united front against Israel days before a
recent escalation of attacks against Israeli targets shattered fragile
ceasefires with Lebanon and the Palestinians, writes Hugh Macleod in
Damascus.

The minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, held talks with leaders of Hamas,
Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah in Damascus on November 15.

Among those who attended the meeting were Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas
leader, and a deputy leader of Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility
for last Monday’s suicide bombing of a shopping mall in Netanya that
killed five Israeli citizens.

Ahmed Jibril, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine- General Command, was also present. “We all confirmed that what is
going on in occupied Palestine is organically connected to what is going
on in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Lebanon,�?said Jibril.

Seven days after the talks, Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets and
mortars at Israeli targets, sparking the fiercest fighting between the two
sides since Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon five years ago.

Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.

 

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