Report: Israel gearing to bomb Iran's nuclear sites

London Time reports Israeli Air Force gearing for possibility of strike on Tehran 'within days, maybe hours if given the green light.' National Security Studies Institute member says that despite reports, attack unlikely without US support

Ynet

Published:

04.18.09, 09:22 / Israel News

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, the London Times reported Saturday. 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. Futileness? Gates: Israeli attack on Iran won't stop nuclear program / Ynet US defense secretary tells Marine Corps University students Israeli strike would 'cement Iranians determination to have a nuclear program'; says acquisition of nuclear bomb can only be prevented if 'Iranians themselves decide it's too costly' Full story Two nationwide civil defense drills, scheduled to be held in the next few weeks, are said to help prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face. “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,” the report quoted a senior defense establishment official as saying. 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 tons 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 practiced covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refueling tankers. 'Attack unlikely without US support' The possible Israeli strike on Iran has drawn comparisons to its attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad in 1981. The strike eradicated the facility in under 100 seconds, with no Israeli losses. “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.

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