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erm67
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 Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:52 pm Post subject: Israel to strike Iran in April, May or June |
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| RT wrote: | ‘Israel to strike Iran in April, May or June’ – US Defense Sec
Published: 03 February, 2012, 15:04
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that Israel could attack Iran in the next few months. This follows Israeli reports that Iran has the capability to develop four nuclear bombs and reach the US with a missile strike.
Panetta sees a ‘strong possibility’ of an Israeli strike on Iran in either April, May or June, according to Thursday’s Washington Post. The attack would occur before Iran enters a so-called ‘immunity zone’, when its nuclear facilities will be too heavily fortified for an attack to succeed.
Post columnist’s David Ignatius, who broke the story, believes the overriding fear in Israel is that Iran has come close enough to making a nuke that only the USA will be capable of militarily stopping them.
Ignatuis was once called “mainstream media’s chief apologist for CIA crimes” by Johns Hopkins’ Melvin A. Goodman over the former’s support for US intelligence and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Panetta and the Pentagon declined to comment on the Post’s piece, though Reuters has anonymous confirmation from the White House of the Defense Secretary’s position.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Friday worshippers that “threatening and attacking Iran” would only harm the United States. “In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak also announced late on Thursday that a “nuclear Iran will be more complicated to deal with, more dangerous and more costly in blood than if it is stopped today”. “Whoever says later might find that it will be too late,” Barak added. |
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notageek
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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I predict Israel will strike Iran on April 1.
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Muso
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| notageek wrote: | | I predict Israel will strike Iran on April 1. |
Would be perfect. Just completely decimate Iran on April 1, and then say "April Fools!" afterwards.
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dmitchell
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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If I were the US president I would tell Israel to do what they want but don't expect my support.
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notageek
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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wildhorse
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| ... or July, next year, or maybe later ... |
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cach0rr0
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Old School
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike.
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cach0rr0
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike. |
If they don't believe they'd really be wiped off the map, and that the destruction of Israel would bring about the Mahdi, then yes. Consider who's *really* at the top of their government - it ain't Ahmadinejad. |
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Muso
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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Iran is essentially run by a religious cult. So there really is nothing stopping them from trying to bring about the 12th Imam. Rationality cannot be applied to their motives or actions.
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BoneKracker
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike. |
They wouldn't just pop off a nuke out of the blue. It doesn't work that way.
This is how it works: like that thing you do before you play sand-lot baseball to see who bats first, where you toss the bat to the other team, a guy grabs it, and then you each alternate grabbing the bat above the spot the other guy grabbed, until somebody finally grabs the top. Nuclear weapons means that they can now be the ones who ultimately grab the top of the bat.
Iran will be able to take actions (for example, say, occupying Iraq and seizing Kuwaiti oil fields) without as much fear of military intervention, because such intervention could escalate. If somebody intervenes, then they attack, say, Israel, Saudi oil fields, U.S. forces in the region, etc. Then Iran threatens to use its nukes if Iran herself is attacked, then they are indeed attacked, and the next thing you know, you've got a mushroom cloud in Kuwait or Israel.
Had Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, or Muammar Qaddafi had a nuclear weapon, would Coalition/NATO forces have launched major military operations against them? If Saddam Hussein had had a nuclear weapon, Kuwait would now be part of Iraq.
Also, I don't know where troll RT gets their information about Iran having missiles that can reach the U.S., but that is extremely unlikely. That doesn't mean they can't sail an innocuous-looking boat into New York harbor and set off a nuke, or drive a truck from some sloppy fishing port in Alabama into Washington, D.C. and set off a nuke.
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Last edited by BoneKracker on Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Old School
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Israel isn't threatened as much as the Saudis. Let those pricks deal with it.
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BoneKracker
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:00 am Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | | Israel isn't threatened as much as the Saudis. Let those pricks deal with it. |
You know all the big deal about how Obama is pulling our forces out of Iraq? Well, now we have like 15,000 troops in Kuwait, probably for exactly the reason I mention. They are basically parked on top of the oil.
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pjp
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:22 am Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike. |
What part of insane religious people are you having trouble with?
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wswartzendruber
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| dmitchell wrote: | | If I were the US president I would tell Israel to do what they want but don't expect my support. |
I don't think Israel would even need our help. |
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BoneKracker
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:37 am Post subject: |
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The problem with Israel striking Iran is that it could ignite a major war. I'm surprised we haven't heard a threat from the new Egypt yet, saying that if Israel attacks Iran, Egypt will attack Israel.
Actually taking out Iran's nuclear production facilities would likely require a sustained attack with a lot of ordinance. Before that can happen, you have to achieve air superiority and render air defense weapons ineffective. That basically means bombing the fuck out of a lot of stuff. The Iranians don't have the very latest air defense systems, but what they've got is quite effective against the planes Israel is flying. Without the element of surprise, Israel is not going to get through it unscathed.
A simple strike could be achieved in hours, but that would only set them back a matter of weeks or months at the most. Serious destruction that would set them back years could take weeks of pounding from the air (or an extremely risky large-scale raid, which could easily end up being a suicide mission for a lot of men).
This announcement of a timeline by the U.S. intelligence chief strikes me as antithetical to everything that's pounded into their heads from day one about operations security. It's got to be deception of some kind. It might be that they are getting ready to attack on Sunday or something, and this is intended to get them to drop their guard and adopt that as planning horizon. Or it may be that we've decided we can't be ready to do what is both necessary and acceptable for a year (since we've sat on our asses and let them get everything dug in under bedrock), and this is supposed to get them to waste some resources and complicate their operations in the mean time.
In short, I don't believe a word of it.
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cach0rr0
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:41 am Post subject: |
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| wswartzendruber wrote: |
I don't think Israel would even need our help. |
If it were Israel v Iran in a one-on-one fight, no.
If it were Israel v Iran+Russia, the dynamic is changed. Not that Russia would take on any kind of overt role, but they'd be more than willing to provide arms, logistical help, etc. They are very happy with the current relationship, not only do they have a reliable trading partner, they have a bargaining chip to use against the US. If that tie is lost in a war that overthrows the Islamitards at the top of Iran's leadership, Russia can no longer hold that over our heads. |
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dmitchell
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:44 am Post subject: |
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| wswartzendruber wrote: | | I don't think Israel would even need our help. |
Not suggesting they would. What I mean is, "Don't expect the US to back you up on this. Whatever results, you're on your own."
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Last edited by dmitchell on Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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cach0rr0
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:44 am Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: |
Iran will be able to take actions (for example, say, occupying Iraq and seizing Kuwaiti oil fields) without as much fear of military intervention, because such intervention could escalate. If somebody intervenes, then they attack, say, Israel, Saudi oil fields, U.S. forces in the region, etc. Then Iran threatens to use its nukes if Iran herself is attacked, then they are indeed attacked, and the next thing you know, you've got a mushroom cloud in Kuwait or Israel.
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The strait of hormuz another one. They could, on a whim, any time someone in the West does something they don't like, close off the strait of hormuz.
Their conventional forces aren't threatening shit. Their anti-ship defenses are respectable, purely because of the sheer number of small craft that are armed to the teeth, but that's about where it ends. If they got ahold of a nuke, it wouldn't matter if their entire navy consisted of a 14 foot jon boat with a trolling motor, they'd have carte blanche to do what they want in the persian gulf. |
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dmitchell
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:48 am Post subject: |
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| cach0rr0 wrote: | | If they don't believe they'd really be wiped off the map, and that the destruction of Israel would bring about the Mahdi, then yes. Consider who's *really* at the top of their government - it ain't Ahmadinejad. |
No. I'll tell you who is at the top: politicians. Politicians enjoying the good life, with riches and everything they desire at their fingertips. Attack Israel and lose it all? Not happening.
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dmitchell
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:51 am Post subject: |
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| The Earth wrote: | | Iran is essentially run by a religious cult. So there really is nothing stopping them from trying to bring about the 12th Imam. Rationality cannot be applied to their motives or actions. |
Then what makes you think sanctions or even bombs are going to stop them? Looks like you are for another decades long program of regime change. Yeah, good luck with that.
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Muso
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:34 am Post subject: |
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| dmitchell wrote: | | The Earth wrote: | | Iran is essentially run by a religious cult. So there really is nothing stopping them from trying to bring about the 12th Imam. Rationality cannot be applied to their motives or actions. |
Then what makes you think sanctions or even bombs are going to stop them? Looks like you are for another decades long program of regime change. Yeah, good luck with that. |
Where did I imply that sanctions worked? Where did I advocate bombing... or any policy?
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| ichbinsisyphos wrote: | | You know, personally I've never been the greatest fan of Negroes |
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Old School
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:55 am Post subject: |
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| pjp wrote: | | Old School wrote: | Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike. |
What part of insane religious people are you having trouble with? |
T'weren't Mormons.
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dmitchell
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| The Earth wrote: | | Where did I imply that sanctions worked? Where did I advocate bombing... or any policy? |
I just assumed. Sorry -- jumped the gun.
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pjp
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | Old School wrote: | Does anyone really believe that the Iranians are willing to face being wiped off the map over Israel?
Think this through. If the Iranians (by proxy or not) touched off a nuke in Haifa, not even the Chinese would get in the way of a overwhelming counter strike. |
What part of insane religious people are you having trouble with? |
T'weren't Mormons. |
I have no idea how that relates to the likelihood of Iran using nukes (or not).
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