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Israeli Official: Massive air exercise was "dress rehearsal" for Iran raid

US officials are saying that Israel carried out long range air force military maneuvers earlier this month that resembled a rehearsal for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Several US officials said the exercise seemed aimed at developing the military's capacity for long-range strikes and to demonstrate the seriousness with which Israel views Iran's nuclear program.

More than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters participated in the manoeuvres, which were carried out over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece during the first week of this month, US officials said. The exercise also included Israeli helicopters that could be used to rescue downed pilots.

The helicopters and refuelling tankers flew more than 1450 kilometres, the approximate distance between Israel and Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, US officials said. The New York Times

At first, Israel declined to verify the intentions of the military maneuvers, but late Saturday night, Israeli newspaper Ynet News published the following anonymous quote from an Israeli official: 

"The Iranians should read the writing on the wall. This was a dress rehearsal, and the Iranians should read the script before they continue with their program for nuclear weapons," the source said. "If diplomacy does not yield results, Israel will take military steps to halt Teheran's production of bomb-grade uranium."  Ynet News

Israeli military sources say that they have no intention of sending scores of military jets to destroy Iran's nuclear installations since the local threat from Hamas and Hezbollah will also be of immediate concern.  Here is a scenario that Israeli military analyst say is more likely as reported in Israeli publication Debkafile:

Israel has already displayed its ability to strike a nuclear site in the attack on the Syrian-North Korean plutonium reactor in northern Syria on September 6, 2007.

But these military sources argue it would be sheer recklessness for Israel to send so large a part of its air fleet for a repeat of the Israeli attack on Iran without first demolishing Iran’s air defenses.

In the attack on Syria, Israel was able to disarm by electronic means the Russian-made air defense batteries guarding its reactor. The same systems protect Iran’s nuclear sites. It must be assumed, however, that Iran and the Russian manufacturers learned a lesson or two from the way Israel silenced the batteries in Syria, although Israel too will have added new gadgetry too.

Those Western military sources also deduced from the Israeli aerial exercise eastern Mediterranean that its war planners must have taken stock of the punishing fallout a war operation against Iran would trigger.

Therefore, rather than consigning a large air fleet to Iranians skies, Israel’s war planners are likely to first use large numbers of missiles to demolish Iran’s nuclear facilities and air defense batteries. Some may be delivered by air from a distance outside the range of Iranian fighter craft (most of which are outdated and in bad shape), others from Dolphin submarines.

The Air Force will go into action at a later stage.

They calculate that the moment Iran is attacked, not only will it retaliate, but all hell will break loose on Israeli borders. Iran’s terrorist stooges, HIzballah will let loose from Lebanon, Hamas from the Gaza Strip and the Syrian air and missile forces go into action from the north. The Israeli Air Force will be vitally needed to protect the population and sufficient aircraft must therefore be kept back for the home front.

Given Tehran’s multiple reprisal capability and the limits to which the Israeli Air Force can be stretched operationally at one time, the IDF may well decide to deal with the Hizballah and Hamas short-range rocket infrastructure as well as the Syrian Air Force before going into action against Iran.  Debkafile

Iran has promised a strong retaliation in the event that Israel does attempt to stage a strike against their facilities.

This scenario is all too real and looks to take place in a matter of months if international diplomacy fails.  Israel's message of its intentions is crystal clear and Iran better take it seriously.

Are we living on the cusp of war or is a white knight about ready to ride in and bring peace to the Middle East and to the world?

Are you ready to meet the Lord?  If not, your time is running out!

Terry Malone

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