Israeli Nukes and Threats

An article in the Times Online - Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran - has set the wires abuzz. This should not be a huge surprise since back in November 2006 Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh shot off his mouth at a press conference to the same theme: "I am not advocating an Israeli pre-emptive military action against Iran and I am aware of its possible repercussions," Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, a former general, said in comments published Friday in The Jerusalem Post. "I consider it a last resort. But even the last resort is sometimes the only resort."

The Times report is more detailed and direct than Sneh's off-the-cuff remark. For example, it reveals that Israel has been running training flights for a nuclear "bunker busting" attack on three suspected nuclear develop facilities in Iran. Israel is of course denying any such plan or training of pilots.

Another interesting deduction from the Times article:

Robert Gates, the new US defence secretary, has described military action against Iran as a "last resort", leading Israeli officials to conclude that it will be left to them to strike.

If Israel did engage in such a strike, a Pentagon source is quoted as saying Israel would have to seek approval of the U.S. after the fact as it did in the 1981 strike against Iraq. In other words, "we will look the other way, but give you approval afterwards."

Given the current instability in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine, a preemptive nuclear strike seems monumentally stupid and shortsighted. However, the US has been beefing up its naval presence in the Gulf to send a "warning" to Iran. So unleashing Israel would be in line with the ongoing neo-con wonder world of empire.

Of course, the fact that Israel has nuclear weapons is one of those we know but won't talk about it things (FAS, Wisconsin Project, GlobalSecurity). Also well understood is that Israel acts with the approval and support of the United States - even if that weren't the case it is the perception. Meaning? That if Israel initiates a strike, the US will be positioned to move forward.

There is the little problem of using nuclear weapons, and the nuclear consequences of that. But the sales pitch in both the US and Israel has been that "bunker busting" nukes have contained radioactive impact. This seems like hyperbole, and suspected weapons of this sort used in Afghanistan left a lot of radioactive material above ground and blowing in the wind. Bush is of course all in favor of nuclear weapons and using them preemptively. In fact, his policies have restarted the nuclear race. Bush is expected to announce the plans for newest nuke in the US arsenal this coming week.

It would be really refreshing if there was some attempt to push back from escalating conflict rather than pushing closer to the brink of disaster. However, peace is not a goal of empire - at least not this one. The mentality is the rule of the club; my way or the highway; no dissent tolerated. I hope that "god" really does speak to Bush and tell him to change course. However, I am pretty sure if that happened Bush would think that it was Satan trying to fool him.