Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.
In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran. To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.
“The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.”
Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.
#6 Hamas and Hasbullah will lay their weapons or at least stop their efforts to kill every Jew in the Jewish state when the last Jew in what was once Israel is dead. That’s what they say.
If you think you have some other solution they will accept you are claiming to be smarter than anybody else who has ever worked on the problem so cough it Genius and lets see if it flies.
We just might be missing the true intentions of Iran here.
Iran may not want to destroy Israel, at least not first. Iran wants to take over all of the middle east and much of Asia, and attacking Israel first could complicate things.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100515/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Israel
So why are the Arab states (except Syria) quietly helping Israel? Because Israel is a problem they can deal with, while Iran is not.
Therefore, oddly enough, Israel has become the ARAB PROTECTORATE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
Israel will bomb Iran if it is attacked, and don’t you bet there is a secret agreement with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to help there as well, all the nuclear free zone nonsense notwithstanding.
What would be this secret agreement. I speculate it would be something like this, “You Arabs can yell, scream, and propagandize all you want, but as long as you don’t actually DO anything and we got your back with Iran.”
#21–do-ill. Your befuddlement continues as usual. I support Israel no matter what they do, not because I support Israel no matter what they do, but because that is the way the cookie crumbles.
If you search these threads this past week, you will see my position is I wonder if the Israeli’s actually are causing themselves more grief than help by not being tougher on their enemies.
So, you confuse my position in these matters: real politik, nor morality and tears.
Try again.
Ah Yea–up to your MO==providing actual information? Well Done.
Yes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Does get a bit confusing when there are so many enemies?
But Real Politik: religion takes a hind seat when countries want to expand their borders/influence. Israel continues on its admirable way by “basically” (sic” just wanting to be left alone. For all you raving Anti-Zionists, put this reality in context and compare Israeli’s stated goals and actions to those of Iran.
Silly Hoomans.
Bobbo, again exactly right, and thank you! To me it is obvious the Iranian clerics are hiding their true despotic intentions behind religious robes. An easy and effective way to garner the support of the puppet masses.
Facilities to do the work needed to make nuclear weapons are kind of obvious. They can be taken out however the Russians are selling Tehran missile batteries to prevent that. Once Tehran has enough refined product to make a bomb they only need to make more material in order to increase their bomb inventory so there is a time limit here.
I can see the House of Saud very reluctantly going for this. Tehran is already paying for the forces causing them problems on their southern border. Call it war by proxy because it is.
If Tehran gets the bomb so will Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and maybe a few other nations in the region and I wouldn’t bet three cents the local nuts wouldn’t use them on each other, us or who ever.
Of course no Muslim in their right mind would hit Mecca with a Nuke because that really would cause an awful lot of Mullahs to preach Jihad against them.
Of course Tehran has threatened to bomb Jerusalem and that is also a sacred city so…
#14 bobbo
I am under the impression that the Iranian Ayatollah puppet said something like ‘the regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish’, not ‘Nuke Israel’ (and therefore Palestine and therefore Iran in response). They say they do not intend to produce nuclear weapons so what would they nuke Israel with?
“Tell me why the Jews should not believe them…”, why should Israel believe them regardless of what they say? I wouldn’t, would you?
It doesn’t matter what they say. If you wanted to stop Iran’s nuclear program it is too late for Israel to do that now (as far as I am aware). If Israel (and it’s allies) think Iran will attack it with nuclear weapons when/if it gets them clearly they would have no option but to strike first but wouldn’t that make a retaliatory strike inevitable (assuming you were unable to destroy their nuclear program)?
Some Jewish people were correct to see the Nazi regime as a direct threat (and were capable of escaping), more did not (or couldn’t do anything about it) and apparently most Germans didn’t either. However, it does not necessarily follow that Iran could or would nuke Israel, Germany committed it’s genocide (mostly) in secret and only where they had direct control, attacking Israel with nukes would be suicide, which obviously does not completely rule it out, but from what I have seen, suicide seems to be glorious for the masses not Ayatollahs and despots (Saddam in a hole).
If Israel thinks Iran is going to attack, they must act, but Iran does not have a history of offensive state military aggression/invasion (I am not disputing their clandestine assistance to others), and no-one, except America who knew there was no retaliatory capability, has used nuclear weapons. I do not want Israel to be the second aggressor (and likely third victim), and that is the only way they could hope to defeat Iran without direct military assistance.
Do you think Iran would nuke Israel? Should Israel attack Iran? Should we help attack Iran? What would the consequences be?
P.S. If Israel cannot stop Iran from nuking it, my advise would be a swift retreat from the area by all sane Israelis, Palestinians and anyone else in range of the fallout (and Iran and wherever else thermonuclear war breaks out).
P.P.S. What a f’ed up discussion.
deowll–beyond stating the obvious, what do you think?
Whats “better” for the world, for the Middle East, or your religion or country of choice? A nuked-up Middle East, or Israel taking out anyone else that develops said weapon?
Take a position. Don’t qb on us.
LDA–excellent addition. I draw a closer connection between Iran doing all they can to build a Nuke and whatever statements they have made regarding the end of Israel however it gets phrased.
So, you make a very weak argument but follow it up with very insightful/realistic sequalia until your concluding thought.
So once again, excellent “crucible of reality:” WHAT WOULD YOU DO? and your advice to a current nuclear power with proven military superiority against all foes, when confronted by a military disaster attempting an end run with 1-2 nukes is to run away?
Did you ever get to buy lunch in the third grade?
What would I do to stop Iran?
Stop whacking at the branches and go for the root.
The branches = Iran.
The Root = China and to a much lesser extent, Russia.
China is the world’s #1 sponsor of Terrorism. Without China’s support, there would be no North Korea, no radical Iran (and hence no Hezbollah or Hamas).
Hit China where it counts, in it’s pocketbook. Levy a 20% to 40% tariff on everything China imports until they stop domestic terrorism against the US (through their currency manipulation), and proxy foreign terrorism.
Money talks. China would economically collapse if we pressed a tariff against them. They would buckle and give in before that happens.
It could be painful to the US in the short term, but long term would build a safer international community and a more prosperous US.
Bold Move Ah Yea. Food for thought, and I’m not talking noodles.
That’s it?
Would you like to offer an opinion or just critique other’s opinions? I repeat and expand. Do you think Iran would nuke Israel if it had the capability? Should Israel attack Iran? Should we help Israel attack Iran? Do you think it is possible to stop Iran’s nuclear program militarily? What would the consequences be?
What I usually draw from conflicting statements is that you should not trust either without proof.
My final advice was not to a “…current nuclear power…”, it was to the people that (unlike you or me) may, have to make the choice at a future date if faced by imminent attack. You apparently read the whole post so you should be aware that my final statement began “If Israel cannot stop Iran from nuking it”. Would you advise them to stay?
P.S. I went home for lunch in third grade, usually after reading comprehension.
#19, Iraq and Afghanistan both border Iran, so the troop withdrawal may just be a plan to send everyone across the border.
Iran is entitled to nuclear power under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, AND other signatories are obligated to provide it. So it is the US and other countries that are in violation of this treaty in insisting that Iran follow additional protocols before they can have nuclear power. Iran even made some concessions, but that was not good enough for the US.
Now Iran has the tacit support of Russia and China and India in its actions. Against that, how can any sanctions regime be practical?
#32–LDA==well, you are right. I read right past your “what if.” A bit knee jerk on my part not to give an idiotic hypothetical a full stop before proceeding on. I apologize.
How about THIS hypothetical: The use of nuclear weapons turns desert sand into gold with no residual radioactivity and makes all women who are exposed to its initial flash much more beautiful in mens eyes and makes all the men have 6 packs of steel. NOW should the Iraeli’s run away?
I would think not.
But what if the hypothetical was sheer nonsense, like mine, that only a retard would think it was worthy of consideration?
Why then we might deal with reality: What should Israel do as it becomes accepted wisdom that Iran is within a few months of having a Nuke?
What then? I hope all rationale people KNOW what the answer is. Really, another worthless hypothetical.
#35 bobbo
Do you think Iran would nuke Israel if it had the capability? Should Israel attack Iran? Should we help Israel attack Iran? Do you think it is possible to stop Iran’s nuclear program militarily? What would the consequences be?
#36–LDA==I’ll answer as honestly as I can, with a fresh slate.
Do you think Iran would nuke Israel if it had the capability? /// I take what they have said to date as if the would, or at least threaten the same. While that could be their desire, I tend to think they would not do so directly, but instead would use a truck bomb and try to lay the blame off on insurgents/Palestinians or whatever other red herring defense. I see THAT alternative as the most likely, even probable given the mix of nationalistic and religious/anti-Jewish elements running amuck in the ME. I see the same threat against the USA as well, via container ship bomb. Don’t know which would really come first==probably against the US. Intelligence gathering is weaker in the US and such a move would have wider support in the ME given current state of affairs among the zealots.
Should Israel attack Iran? /// I don’t see any alternative. Like the Existential Challenge in the Poisiden Adventure, I’d rather die trying to protect myself than die from inaction waiting on nothing but hope to save me.
Should we help Israel attack Iran? /// Yes as we are the Great Satan, Israel is nothing but our ally.
Do you think it is possible to stop Iran’s nuclear program militarily? /// Yes, very easy. Military and technical prowess of a country as backward as Iran is very weak with no resiliency. Recall Iran and Iraq fought each other in constant stalemate for 10 years. We beat Iraq in 4 days with half an effort.
What would the consequences be? /// Oil prices would go up.
#28 My position is I can’t control what other people think. Everybody that has made reasonable suggestions to the Palestinians has at best been used to buy time and a chance to recover until the people bent on blood feud find a chance to kill some more Jews.
Very few Jews in the Holy land are going to leave no matter what. They will die there.
That being the case I’m not going to waste my time claiming to have a reasonable or sane solution to the problem when I don’t.
The fighting will continue until one side or the other is exterminated or a third power moves in and largely exterminates both sides and replaces them with others who don’t care about the views of the present belligerents.
#38–do-ill==resolute in stating just the obvious. Well, that better than too many here who can’t even state the obvious.
Why not take a whack at the very specific and reasonable question you were actually asked?
The Iranians have never threatened to nuke Israel. Closest thing was some disparaging coments about Zionist political parties that have been widely mistranslated.
What they have said clearly is that nuclear weapons are unislamic and cowardly, in a number of fatwas. After the infalibility damaging green revolution, walking back on those statements would utterly destroy the shiite religous order.
Israel is doing more to destroy themselves with their beligerance than Iran ever could. If they bomb Iran, and unleash fallout upon China and Russia, even the US won’t be able to do anything to save them.