Then world media has been speculating about how long the Israelis (or USA) will wait before attacking Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities. We may not have long to wait for an answer.
The first link details information published by a French media source that the Israelis will attack Iran after December. It details advance preparations that the Israelis are making to prepare for that strike. One item which is new in that report is the possibility that the Israeli strike against Iran will include Israeli ground forces. This report also indicates that the Israeli strike will target not only Iranian facilities, but hostile sites in Syria, Hezbollah sites in Lebanon and Hamas sites in Gaza. If the Israeli strikes include ground forces, it argues that those ground forces will land in Iranian drop zones and attack Iranian nuclear facilities with ground-to-ground missiles from land locations instead of via munitions carried by warplanes. That would be a novel approach, and would bypass the need to penetrate Iranian air defenses.
However, the second link reports that the respected Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has concluded that the Israelis have more than enough air assets to successfully cripple Iran’s nuclear weapons program in an air attack. It even lists the nine specific Iranian targets that the Israelis could hit to maximize the damage to the Iranian program (was the CSIS hinting an attack plan to the Israelis?). You may want to save this list of targets and compare it to media reports about actual targets when/if the actual strikes take place. This second report also ominously notes that both dovish Israeli President Peres and hawkish Prime Minister Netanyahu agree that “if diplomacy failed to halt Iran’s nuclear activities, Israel would be left with no option other than the military one.”
Besides the above ground and air assault options, the Israelis have a third option. My previous blogs have mentioned the modern Israeli submarines which are equipped to fire cruise missiles with either nuclear or conventional warheads. If these cruise missiles have “nap-of-the-earth” flying capacities, these cruise missiles would be ideal for destroying Iranian air-defense batteries just before the Israeli warplanes arrive at their targeted sites. Such cruise missiles could be fired from Israeli subs stationed in the Arabian Sea.
The above gives the Israelis three methods of hitting Iranian targets. When one also considers the possibility that the Israeli Mossad may have completely unexpected ways to aid in this attack, the Israelis may actually have four options with which to hit Iran.
It seems self-evident that diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons are doomed to failure. The third and fourth links below (from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters India) offer reports that strongly indicate that neither Russia nor China will assist the USA and the West in any meaningful sanctions against Iran re: its nuclear weapons programs. If Iran is to be stopped, the USA or the Israelis must act militarily. At this point there seems to be no other option.
In an earlier blog, I raised the possibilility that Russia, China and Iran actually want an American and/or Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities to occur. If Russia and China have secretly placed their most sophisticated air-defense systems and anti-ship cruise missiles in Iran, these nations may be eager for a chance to see how well they work against American and Israeli airplanes, warships, etc. If they have placed the Russian supersonic “sizzler” cruise missiles in Iranian firing positions, expect these missiles to be fired at US warships in the Persian Gulf at the first sign that hostilities have begun. Readers should be prepared for many possible ramifications from any strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities. Such ramifications could include Iranian attacks against US forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, Shiite Iranian attacks against Sunni/Saudi oil facilities, a wider war between the Israelis and Syria and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, activation of Hezbollah terrorist cells in Europe and America, the sudden refusal of Russia and Pakistan to allow U.S. forces in Afghanistan to be re-supplied via routes through those nations, etc.
Warfare often leads to many unintended and unexpected consequences and results. While nations may have their goals and objectives, God will decide how this war unfolds and ends. God has already declared he will defend Judah and Jerusalem in the latter days against all nations if necessary (Zechariah 12:3). I do have one expectation about this war if it does happen. I expect the Israelis to go for total victory on all fronts. There will be no half-hearted campaigns and faint-hearted tactics as were used by the Olmert administration in its previous war against Hezbollah. If a new war starts, I expect Netanyahu will show Israeli enemies what all-out warfare looks like.
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6321
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1386
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125553358587685041.html
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43160620091014
