# Israeli Air Force Ready for Iran's Nuclear Sites



## ToughOmbre (Nov 20, 2008)

From FOX News

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Israeli Air Force is ready to attack Iran's suspected nuclear weapons project if diplomacy fails to persuade the Islamic Republic to halt uranium enrichment, said Commander Ido Nehushtan in an interview published Tuesday.

"We are prepared and ready to do whatever Israel needs us to do and if this is the mission we're given then we are ready," Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel.

A strike against Iran's nuclear facilities "is a political decision," the IAF commander said, "but if I understand it correctly, all options are on the table ... The Air Force is a very robust and flexible force. We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us."

Asked if the Israeli military would be able to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, which are spread around the country, with some built underground, Nehushtan said, "Please understand that I do not want to get into details. I can only say this: It is not a technical or logistical question."

While Israel has fought all its immediate Arab neighbors, its pilots have had limited capabilities to carry out missions as far away as Iran. A strike on Iraq's sole nuclear reactor in 1981 was an extraordinary exception at the time but analysts say the F-16I has made long-distance strikes more possible.

"Air power has been a major player in every war we've fought since 1948," Colonel Amon, who in line with Israeli military rules did not give his surname, told Reuters during the unusual opening of the Ramon desert base to the foreign media.

"This is the most capable aircraft in the Middle East," said Captain Grisha, a fighter pilot in his early 20s.

The Jewish state, widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has said it will not tolerate an Iranian nuclear bomb and has refused to rule out a military option.

Speculation of a U.S.-approved Israeli strike on Iran, fueled by an Israeli attack in Syria last year and by reports of long-range bombing exercises this summer, has faded as the Bush administration prepares to hand over power to President-elect Barack Obama.

Iran, which has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction, said on Tuesday it aimed to commission its first nuclear power plant in 2009. Tehran insists the program has only civilian aims.

TO


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## parsifal (Nov 20, 2008)

If the Israelis are forced to take this action, they have my full support.

This Iranian leader is an absolute nutter, he needs to be stopped....nothing to do with his religion....he is just a nut job


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## Matt308 (Nov 20, 2008)

It has everything to do with I'mAMeanOleWackJob's religion.


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## Erich (Nov 20, 2008)

also remember they have found uranium development in Syrias nuke facilities as well.......

this is exactly what the little gift zwerq from Iran wants, under his guidance to unite all of Islam if attacked by the dreaded Jews


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Nov 20, 2008)

Well, if Israel does attack, they have my support. The Iranian president is too much of a wackjob to just have the plant for 'civilian purposes'.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 20, 2008)

Israel has my support as well. Iran has stated on several occasions they wish to take Israel out.


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## syscom3 (Nov 20, 2008)

The Arabs dont like the Iranians, and vice versa.

More than a few Arab govts are quietly cooperating with the Israeli's on this one.


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## thewritingwriter89 (Nov 24, 2008)

They're gonna have to. It's kind of sad that a few people in control of a government can be so much of a thorn in the side. Ahmadinejad is such a punk.


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## Amsel (Nov 26, 2008)

I don't think the Isreali Air Force could effectively "take out" Irans' nuclear weapons project without using tactical nukes itself. It is going to take combined arms to achieve this I am sorry to say.


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## thewritingwriter89 (Nov 26, 2008)

Yeah, you're probably right Amsel. I don't think I would want to use tactical nuke either. I'm sure you know that in 1981, Iraq's nuclear program was brought to an end pretty decisively with just F-16s and F-15s. There really isn't any reason they couldn't do that today, especially with the advances in bunker-busting penetration bombs.


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## Amsel (Nov 26, 2008)

thewritingwriter89 said:


> There really isn't any reason they couldn't do that today, especially with the advances in bunker-busting penetration bombs.


Besides the fact that they are working deep underground. The U.S. planners say that Special Forces would have to go in if they want to destroy the program. The odds would be long so I imagine the only way to destroy the program militarily is to posture for awhile, build up international support, then invade Iran. This could precipitate a vicious war that might lead once more to total war. Depending on what the Russians and Chinese want to do about it.


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## ToughOmbre (Dec 4, 2008)

******UPDATE******

Thursday, December 04, 2008

From today's Jerusalem Post as reported by FOX News.....

*Israel Preparing to Strike Iran Without U.S. Consent*

Israel is drawing up plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and is prepared to launch a strike without backing from the U.S., an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday.

Officials in the Israeli Defense Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that while they prefer to act in consultation with the U.S., they are preparing plans that would allow them to act alone.

"It is always better to coordinate," a senior Defense Ministry official told the newspaper. "But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination."

It would be difficult, but not impossible, to launch a strike against Iran without permission from the U.S., as the American Air Force controls the Iraqi airspace Israel's jets would have to enter on a bombing mission.

"There are a wide range of risks one takes when embarking on such an operation," a senior Israeli official told the Post.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude oil producer, maintains that its uranium enrichment activities are aimed at making fuel for a network of planned electricity-generating nuclear power plants and not for developing weapons.

However Israel intelligence sources say Iran has sufficient nuclear material to make an atomic bomb.

Last month, amid mounting fears in Israel that the U.S. was doing nothing to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, Ehud Olmert, Israel's Prime Minister, warned President Bush the last chance of destroying Tehran’s nuclear bomb-making program was passing.

Iran dismisses the possibility of an Israeli strike.

"We think that regional and international developments and the complicated situation faced by Israel itself will not allow it to launch military strikes against other countries," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said, according to the Press TV Web site.

"Israel makes threats to promote its psychological and media warfare," Qashqavi said.

A report, published in September in Britain's Guardian newspaper, claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert requested a green light to attack Iran in May but was refused by Bush.

TO


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## SoD Stitch (Dec 4, 2008)

Amsel said:


> Besides the fact that they are working deep underground. The U.S. planners say that Special Forces would have to go in if they want to destroy the program.



Sounds like it's time for Israel to use their F-15I _Ra'am's_ and GBU-28's.


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## fly boy (Dec 4, 2008)

Israel you have my support kick some possiable terroest A for me.


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## Burmese Bandit (Dec 5, 2008)

Stopping nuclear proliferation, especially in such an unstable (economically, politically, and demographically) unstable country as Iran, is a good thing. 

Whether only the Israeli air force (I am a great admirer, BTW) can do it all by itself...well, that's another thing entirely. IMHO the job is just toooooo big.


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## 109ROAMING (Dec 12, 2008)

Israel has my support 

never liked iran


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## Hop (Dec 15, 2008)

> I'm sure you know that in 1981, Iraq's nuclear program was brought to an end pretty decisively with just F-16s and F-15s. There really isn't any reason they couldn't do that today, especially with the advances in bunker-busting penetration bombs.



The Iranian nuclear programme is very different to the early 80s Iraqi one.

Firstly, Iran's nuclear sites are much further from Israel. Whilst the Iraqi reactor was just over 500 miles from Israel, Iran's nuclear sites are about 1,000 miles away. 

Second, Iraq was having a nuclear reactor built above ground by the French. The French were due to provide the fuel. When the Israelis bombed the reactor the French backed out, and Iraq suspended the programme. 

Iran's programme is much different. As well as several reactors, Iran is building an underground enrichment plant to produce their own fuel. Iran claims that they have 5,000 centrifuges already operational there, and western sources estimate they intend to expand that to 30,000.

It's the centrifuges that are the biggest problem. A nuclear reactor makes a nice target, although smaller research reactors are quite easy to hide. But centrifuges are pretty small, can be dispersed, and installed underground.

Israel could no doubt put a dent in Iran's nuclear programme, and even destroy the legitimate commercial side altogether, but nothing short of invasion is going to end it completely.

The end result of an Israeli air strike is likely to be a setback to Iran, but will probably see Iran withdraw from the NPT and inspections, and increase domestic support for the Iranian government.

Oh, and push oil prices right back up to $100 or more a barrel.

The reason Israel hasn't already acted is because they know there's not much they can really do. With Israeli elections coming up soon, though, an attack would prove very popular with the public in the short term.


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## Captain Dunsel (Dec 17, 2008)

Too bad we can't surreptitiously pump in some extra neutrons and trigger a minor meltdown. It would produce minimal casualties, and show that a bigger "accident" could occur if Iran didn't behave. 

Yes, I agree it's a dirty trick, but better than letting Iran go ahead, unimpeded.

CD


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## steelDUST (Dec 22, 2008)

I'd rather resort to assasination of Iran's leader than by sending multimillion dollars jets inside Iran just to bomb a nuke facility. That way, it's untraceable and inexpensive.


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## fly boy (Jan 8, 2009)

update on israil and sorry if i missspelled but lebinon shot four missles into the north and they have returned fire 


here we go again
this seems to happen every ten years or so


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## Captain Dunsel (Jan 9, 2009)

> this seems to happen every ten years or so



Yeah, just long enough for the crazies to breed another crop of kids big enough to carry a decent weight bombload. 

CD


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## nelson_r32 (Jan 14, 2009)

Captain Dunsel said:


> Yeah, just long enough for the crazies to breed another crop of kids big enough to carry a decent weight bombload.
> 
> CD



These 'crazies' you refer to are actually Palestinian citizens who've been forced out of there homes and into Refugee (Concentration) Camps because Israel continues to break the UN laws and hold Palestinian land. If you are going to be so flippant at least have some intelluctual rigor and back it up with facts instead of what you are fed from the Zionist American media. 

And for the record; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "Zionism should be wiped off the face of the earth". Not Israel.

Anyone who reads real news knows that Israel is a much bigger threat to world peace than Iran will ever be.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Jan 14, 2009)

nelson_r32 said:


> These 'crazies' you refer to are actually Palestinian citizens who've been forced out of there homes and into Refugee (Concentration) Camps because Israel continues to break the UN laws and hold Palestinian land. If you are going to be so flippant at least have some intelluctual rigor and back it up with facts instead of what you are fed from the Zionist American media.
> 
> Israel is a much bigger threat to world peace than Iran will ever be.



No, not really. Israel has done some bad things, but I'd rather trust their word then Hamas. And watch what you say, comments like that are going to be met with criticism.


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## ToughOmbre (Jan 14, 2009)

nelson_r32 said:


> If you are going to be so flippant at least have some intelluctual rigor and back it up with facts instead of what you are fed from the Zionist American media.



"Zionist American media"?  American media is 75-80 % slanted to the left, but Zionist?



nelson_r32 said:


> And for the record; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "Zionism should be wiped off the face of the earth". Not Israel.



 Right.......Mahmoud loves Israel!



nelson_r32 said:


> Anyone who reads real news knows that Israel is a much bigger threat to world peace than Iran will ever be.



And where do you get your "real news"?

TO


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## lesofprimus (Jan 14, 2009)

Nelson/Meatball said:


> Anyone who reads real news knows that Israel is a much bigger threat to world peace than Iran will ever be.


Ur a fu*kin moron, u know that right??? I mean, I dont want to insult ur ever so educated opinion and hurt ur wittle feelings by stating something completely obvious that Im sure ur aware of...

If u are not aware of, or dont believe u are a moron, then by all means, lemme enlighten u on this one very simple fact:

YOU ARE A FU*KING MORON WHO WEARS A برقع or BURQA!!!!


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## FLYBOYJ (Jan 14, 2009)

nelson_r32 said:


> Zionist American media.


I've decided you're just too stupid to be here so I'm casting you off into cyberspace - maybe you'll join a Hitler youth group someday.


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## ToughOmbre (Jan 14, 2009)

Gotta love our mods!

TO


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## lesofprimus (Jan 14, 2009)

He was in the middle of typing a reply when u banned him Joe.... LMAO..


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## FLYBOYJ (Jan 14, 2009)

lesofprimus said:


> He was in the middle of typing a reply when u banned him Joe.... LMAO..



I hope he got a shock thru his keyboard.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 14, 2009)

Israel more of a threat than Iran???

Huh?


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## Gnomey (Jan 14, 2009)

Saw this from a mile off (hence the report ). 

Which country as the anti-western talk and wants nuclear weapons? Israel, ha, Iran is the bigger threat anyday of the week.


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## Matt308 (Jan 14, 2009)

lesofprimus said:


> He was in the middle of typing a reply when u banned him Joe.... LMAO..



Now that's funny! The penultimate insult to emotionally charged radicals. Deny them their speech.


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## SoD Stitch (Jan 14, 2009)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> Israel more of a threat than Iran???
> 
> Huh?



Yeah, I was trying to figure that one out myself.


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## Captain Dunsel (Jan 15, 2009)

> Israel more of a threat than Iran???



Only in terms of being "an attractive nuisance". Sort of like the girl who gets raped, because she's too pretty to pass up. Only, Israel refuses to lie down and submit.

CD


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## parsifal (Jan 15, 2009)

Comments like that made by that idiot arent even worth responding to. I dont mind people criticising (even strongly) israels, the US's or anybodies position, but to just spruik obvious propaganda is an insult to this place in my opinion


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