Eye on The Enemy: Striking Iran ’’Israel’s’’ Military Nightmare
"IAF" Chief Must save "Israel" from Futile Attack on Iran
The "IAF" can bomb Iran, he must tell the government, but ultimately the operation will not destroy the Iranian nuclear program, at best it can delay it.
Haartez - Reuven Pedatzur
If anyone can save "Israel" from catastrophe it is the "Israel" Air Force commander. All Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan has to do is whisper to the prime minister and "defense" minister that an Air Force attack on Iran cannot achieve its goals.
The force's airplanes can reach Iran and even drop bombs, he must tell them, but ultimately the operation will not destroy the Iranian nuclear program. At best it will delay the program by a few months.
He must give them an account of the attack outlines the force is training on and explain that due to the numerous targets, dense aerial defenses and the fact that some of them are buried deep underground; the chances of success are slim indeed.
Such an approach to the policy makers may be opposed to the "Air Force spirit," but Nechushtan must act with national responsibility. It would not be a display of defeatism, but rather one of supreme responsibility in an era when the decision-making process has gone dangerously haywire. Only he can stop the train speeding to a collision in Iran's skies.
Outgoing Mossad Chief Meir Dagan tried to warn against a foolhardy decision when he said "an attack in Iran is the stupidest thing I've heard." But the prime minister's people know Dagan understands all about spies and assassins, but when it comes to the Air Force's planes and pilots' performance he lacks knowledge and understanding.
As long as the Air Force continues drills on the attack in Iran, it gives Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak the illusion that it is possible to destroy the Iranian nuclear program by military action.
This is why the Air Force commander must go to these two and explain there is no point in the continued investment in these drills and they should be stopped.
The decision could be kept in complete secrecy, but it must make it clear to the prime minister and "defense" minister that their strategic thinking must change direction. No more a policy centered on planning a military blow, but preparing for the era of a nuclear Iran.
It won't be easy to persuade Barak, and especially Netanyahu. The prime minister believes with all his heart that the mission he is charged with is to save the people of "Israel", maybe even the entire free world. The Iranian issue has been preoccupying him much more than the agreement with the Palestinians, relations with the Arab world and even his relationship with the American administration. When Netanyahu compares Tehran's regime to the Nazi regime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler, he really means it.
Barak, in contrast, has said more than once that a nuclear Iran may constitute a threat, but dismissed attempts to compare this situation with Nazi Germany. The defense minister has even alluded on occasion to "Israel's" deterrence capability. Nonetheless, due to considerations probably stemming from personality and political calculations, Barak is conveying to those around him that he may support a military operation in Iran.
All this indicates that the Air Force commander's mission will not be simple. He is likely to be subjected to overwhelming pressure to change his evaluations and continue planning the attack. Doubtlessly, Nechushtan finds himself at a decisive position in a critical period. Never, it seems, has an "IDF" officer been in a position in which his professional recommendation could bring on Israel a disaster of such proportions. We may only hope Nechushtan will rise to the occasion.
Dan Meridor: Public Debate on Iran - A Scandal
Ma'ariv - Mazal Mualem
Intelligence Minister and member of the octet, Dan Meridor is infuriated by the furious debate over a possible attack on Iran. In a distinct statement he says to Maariv: "Such a discussion is more serious in my opinion than Anat Kamm's leaks." Meridor, the first member of the octet to express his opinion openly, has returned to "Israel" on Sunday from a business trip in New York and was shocked by the intensity of the debate and its content - literally shocked.
His statement, he clarifies, isn't about the content of the news but it's more about the nature of the public media debate which is seemingly related to Netanyahu's and Barak's aspiration in attacking Iran and its far-reaching implications.
"We have reached a very serious and inappropriate situation," Meridor said. The media attention, he continued, "pales in comparison to the acts of Anat Kamm, and has crossed its limits."
As a minister of intelligence, Meridor is a member of a small forum of members who are up on the classified information related to "Israeli" conduct against the Iranian threat.
"Such a public debate is nothing less than a scandal. I don't recall there was ever such a debate. It influents the government's line of attack; not everything has to go up for public discussion," he added.
Meridor rejected the recent argument that gives the population the right to be exposed to the public debate on the Iranian Issue under the pretext that it's important and may transform the whole region. "The public elected a government to make decisions about things like this in secret. The public's right to know does not include the debate about classified matters like this," he said.
Meridor expressed his need to say this in order to put an end to this chaos, and called both politicians and civilians to "act responsibly". "The government should be allowed to deal with certain issues in secret. Going public severely harms the government procedures. Such a discussion cannot be live on camera. They lost their senses here," Meridor stated.
Meanwhile, during a discussion of the Knesset Finance Committee that dealt with the possibility of cutting off the defense budget, "Defense" Minister Ehud Barak referred to the possibility of an "Israeli" action the will take place without the backing or support of other nations.
He said, "There might be situations where the "State of Israel" will have to protect its interests and stand for matters which it deems as essential, without being able to rely necessarily on regional forces or others' help".
An "Israeli" Security Source: A large-scale "Israeli" operation in Gaza was halted, at the request of Cairo
Walla news portal
"Israel" intended to launch a large-scale military operation in Gaza Strip in response to Grad rockets attack towards its territory, but the operation did not see the light at the end of the day after the request of Egypt to curb intentions of attacking Tel Aviv.
This was reported on Tuesday, by a senior security source to Walla news portal. During this day no rockets were fired towards "Israel" after it has witnessed a series of attacks for several consecutive days, which were offset by the "Israeli" army that responded by targeting Gaza Strip.
The source confirmed what was cited in the Egyptian report, that Tel Aviv has agreed to a cease-fire within 24 hours starting from the middle of the night, and the party that stands behind the recent rocket fire is not the Islamic Jihad that was accused in the beginning, but other factions that don't adhere to the directives of Hamas.
Source: Hebrew newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org
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