Today FOX is reporting rumors that Israel has been practicing maneuvers ... flying over Iran and back in preparation for serious strikes against Iran. The targets are difficult because they are spread out and some are underground so it won't be as easy for Israel this time as it was for Israel to take out the one and only Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq before it went hot. (June 7, 1981.)
The reason for Israel to do this in Iran is the same as it was when they took out the Osirak reactor in Iraq.
“The alternative is our destruction.” Iran has said it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. They have denied the holocaust. It is clear their target is Israel.
Israel has said it cannot count on the United States to take out the Iranian sites as the US is too burdened with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their problems with North Korea, etc., to get involved in a war with Iran to protect Israel.
Israel is a teensy country with it's back against the sea. Alone. They have absolutely no choice but to go on the offensive to protect itself. They are not going to wait until Iran strikes them. They have to do this before Iran gets its reactors up to speed. Perhaps Israel can do enough damage to push Iran's timeline backward.
And after this, what will be the United States' obligation to Israel?
********************************
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Osirak.htmlIraq built the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad with French assistance. When intelligence confirmed Iraq's intention of producing weapons there, the Israeli government decided to attack. However, the raid would have to occur before the reactor went “hot” so as not to endanger the surrounding community.
Every detail of the mission was planned meticulously. The target was distant: 1,100 km from Israel. Preparations included building target mockups and flying full scale dressrehearsal missions. The aircrews were selected from the cream of the Israel Air Force's (IAF) fighter corps.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ChiefofStaff, Lt. Gen. Rafael (Raful) Eitan, briefed the pilots personally. Displaying unusual emotion, he told them: “The alternative is our destruction.”
At 15:55 on June 7, 1981, the first F15 and F16's roared off the runway from Etzion Air Force Base in the south. After a tense but uneventful lowlevel navigation route, the fighters reached their target. They popped up at 17:35 and quickly identified the dome gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight.
Enemy defenses were caught by surprise and opened fire too late. In one minute and twenty seconds, the reactor lay in ruins.
The way home was quiet, bringing the mission to its successful completion. It was a perfectly orchestrated opera conducted by the IAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David Ivry. At least for the present, the atomic genie of Baghdad was put back into his bottle.
