Israel denies plans to attack Iran
ISN SECURITY WATCH (11/12/05) - Israeli officials have moved quickly to refute a report in Britain's Sunday Times that Israel is planning an attack on Iranian nuclear installations in late March.
The Times, quoting unnamed military and intelligence sources, claimed that Israeli forces have been put on high alert ahead of a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Israeli sources told the newspaper that Israel has been operating an intelligence gathering base in northern Iraq and conducting cross-border operations into neighboring Iran.
According to the Times, information gleaned at the spy station, from intercepted communications, has led Israel to believe that a number of secret uranium processing centers have been set up in civilian areas in the Islamic Republic. These facilities have been established without the knowledge of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The report claims that Israeli special forces were put on "G" readiness last week - the highest state of alert - in preparation for a combined air and ground forces operation against Iranian nuclear installations.
The chief of strategic and security planning at the Israeli Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, denied the existence of the plan in question, without ruling out the preparation of alternative military operations.
Referring to current diplomatic efforts, aimed at ensuring that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapons capacity, Gilad told Israel Radio that, "It would not be correct for a country that faces such a threat to deny that it would ever consider another option […] One cannot say a priori that any option for the future is being ruled out."
"But presented with the specific planning, as laid out so artfully in this article - this, I can say, is not correct," Gilad said.
Responding to the Times article, adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Ra'anan Gissin told ISN Security Watch that, "The Sunday Times over the years has published numerous reports concerning Israel's capabilities" most of which have proved to be "lame duck stories."
Gissin added: "I can only reiterate the policy of the government; that the prime minister is not leading the struggle against Iran. Israel will continue to support the US bid to bring Iran before the Security Council. Diplomacy and the possibility of international sanctions have not been exhausted," he said.
"Iran is not an Israeli problem. Such a regime when it has nuclear capabilities will destabilize the whole world," Gissin opined.
Diplomatic efforts to pressure Iran to allow uranium enrichment for its nuclear facilities to be carried out in Russia appear to be having little effect.
The head of the Atomic Organization of Iran, Gholamreza Aghazadeah, confirmed on Saturday that Iran is determined to produce nuclear fuel. “There is no doubt that we have to carry out uranium enrichment […] Iran can't trust promises by Europeans that it will deliver nuclear fuel," Aghazadeah told reporters.
A recent IAEA meeting in Vienna put off sending Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council. The IAEA has found Iran in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with regards to the disclosure of information and provision of access to nuclear facilities.
In Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, IAEA head Mohammad El Barakei told reporters on Friday that the Iranians are, "inching forward and I'm asking them to leap forward." He expressed hope that outstanding issues will be settled by the time he delivers a report on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in March, because "the international community is losing patience with the nature of that program."
Israel has refused to rule out the possibility of a military strike against Iranian nuclear installations. Tensions are high in the wake of two recent statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he called for Israel to be moved to Europe and "wiped off the map."
The level of threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions has become something of a political football ahead of Israeli elections in March. Former premier Binyamin Netanyahu has been particularly vocal in calling on rival Ariel Sharon to exercise the military option, in emulation of then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin's bombing of Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981.
Iran has promised to retaliate should Israeli attack.
Both countries are arming for a potential stand-off, with Iran securing the purchase of Russian Tor M1 missile systems in a US$1 billion deal with Russia last week. The Tor M1 is capable of bringing down aircraft, guided missiles and laser-guided bombs and will be in position shortly.
Israel recently conducted a successful test on the joint US-Israeli Arrow anti-missile system, which is being developed to provide protection against possible attacks from surrounding countries. December's test was carried out against a mock of Iran's Shihab-3 missile.
(By Dominic Moran in Tel Aviv)
The Times, quoting unnamed military and intelligence sources, claimed that Israeli forces have been put on high alert ahead of a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Israeli sources told the newspaper that Israel has been operating an intelligence gathering base in northern Iraq and conducting cross-border operations into neighboring Iran.
According to the Times, information gleaned at the spy station, from intercepted communications, has led Israel to believe that a number of secret uranium processing centers have been set up in civilian areas in the Islamic Republic. These facilities have been established without the knowledge of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The report claims that Israeli special forces were put on "G" readiness last week - the highest state of alert - in preparation for a combined air and ground forces operation against Iranian nuclear installations.
The chief of strategic and security planning at the Israeli Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, denied the existence of the plan in question, without ruling out the preparation of alternative military operations.
Referring to current diplomatic efforts, aimed at ensuring that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapons capacity, Gilad told Israel Radio that, "It would not be correct for a country that faces such a threat to deny that it would ever consider another option […] One cannot say a priori that any option for the future is being ruled out."
"But presented with the specific planning, as laid out so artfully in this article - this, I can say, is not correct," Gilad said.
Responding to the Times article, adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Ra'anan Gissin told ISN Security Watch that, "The Sunday Times over the years has published numerous reports concerning Israel's capabilities" most of which have proved to be "lame duck stories."
Gissin added: "I can only reiterate the policy of the government; that the prime minister is not leading the struggle against Iran. Israel will continue to support the US bid to bring Iran before the Security Council. Diplomacy and the possibility of international sanctions have not been exhausted," he said.
"Iran is not an Israeli problem. Such a regime when it has nuclear capabilities will destabilize the whole world," Gissin opined.
Diplomatic efforts to pressure Iran to allow uranium enrichment for its nuclear facilities to be carried out in Russia appear to be having little effect.
The head of the Atomic Organization of Iran, Gholamreza Aghazadeah, confirmed on Saturday that Iran is determined to produce nuclear fuel. “There is no doubt that we have to carry out uranium enrichment […] Iran can't trust promises by Europeans that it will deliver nuclear fuel," Aghazadeah told reporters.
A recent IAEA meeting in Vienna put off sending Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council. The IAEA has found Iran in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with regards to the disclosure of information and provision of access to nuclear facilities.
In Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, IAEA head Mohammad El Barakei told reporters on Friday that the Iranians are, "inching forward and I'm asking them to leap forward." He expressed hope that outstanding issues will be settled by the time he delivers a report on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in March, because "the international community is losing patience with the nature of that program."
Israel has refused to rule out the possibility of a military strike against Iranian nuclear installations. Tensions are high in the wake of two recent statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he called for Israel to be moved to Europe and "wiped off the map."
The level of threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions has become something of a political football ahead of Israeli elections in March. Former premier Binyamin Netanyahu has been particularly vocal in calling on rival Ariel Sharon to exercise the military option, in emulation of then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin's bombing of Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981.
Iran has promised to retaliate should Israeli attack.
Both countries are arming for a potential stand-off, with Iran securing the purchase of Russian Tor M1 missile systems in a US$1 billion deal with Russia last week. The Tor M1 is capable of bringing down aircraft, guided missiles and laser-guided bombs and will be in position shortly.
Israel recently conducted a successful test on the joint US-Israeli Arrow anti-missile system, which is being developed to provide protection against possible attacks from surrounding countries. December's test was carried out against a mock of Iran's Shihab-3 missile.
(By Dominic Moran in Tel Aviv)
posted by Marko at 12/11/2005 01:36:00 PM
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