Means Israel has to deploy in attacking Iraq
Regional, Military, 2/6/1998

Israel is likely to use weapons of mass destruction should it decide to attack Iraq in retaliation for a possible Iraqi missile attack on Israeli cities.

Reports compiled from various sources indicated that the Israeli military had recently viewed the option of using a Neutron bomb against Iraqi targets, a bomb that kill people but causes no destruction to property. Besides, Israeli officials, amid a wave of reactions and tough statements against Iraq left no room for doubt that Israel might even resort to its nuclear arsenal in order to inflict severe destruction on Iraq. Israel so far denies it has nuclear weapons but two years ago, it was then Prime Minister Shimon Peres who suggested to terminate Israel's nuclear option in return for a comprehensive peace with the Arab world.

Peres is considered the spiritual father of Israel's atomic choice. Back in the early fifties, Peres was the director general of the defense ministry when he negotiated with the French to build the first nuclear reactor for Israel in Dimona, a town in the southern plains of the Israel. The reactor was later known as the textile factory until US spy satellites discovered it in the early sixties.

During the Gulf War in 1991, Israel had reportedly prepared a plan to attack strategic sites in Iraq, including huge dams in the northern part of the country in order to drown the whole city of Baghdad. But US pressure on Israel at the time managed to prevent an Israeli retaliation to the 39 long range Scud missiles which Iraq launched against Israel. This time, it looks like the Israeli leadership is adamant in its decision to retaliate. Press reports on Friday even hinted that Israel might opt for a preemptive strike against Iraqi targets. Writing in MAARIV Hebrew daily, its diplomatic correspondent, Ben Caspit, hinted that Israel has the means needed to carry out a preemptive attack on Iraq using either its air force or airborne special forces.

During the Gulf War, Israel had to rely exclusively on US spy satellites for data on Iraq but now it has its own Ofek satellite in orbit supplying its ground stations with round-the-clock information on Iraq, Iran, Syria and perhaps some other countries in the Middle East. The date sent by Ofek includes high-resolution precise photos of what¹s going on in Iraq.

Israeli military sources noted over the past week that Iraq may not have the capacity to launch as many ground missiles as those he fired on Israel in the Gulf War. They believe that most of the Scud launchers had been destroyed by the allied forces in the war. However, they believe, Iraq still has the capability and the means to launch at least one volley of long range ground-to-ground missiles. The other factor that Israeli officials cannot speak about for granted is the question whether Iraq has biological or chemical weapons to launch against Israel.

Iraq's ambassador to the UN, Nizar Hamdoun, said last week that his country does not have any more the capacity to attack Israel. But his statements were received with skepticism in Israel which apparently had decided to utilize the present crisis with Iraq to cover up for the failure to achieve a breakthrough in the peace talks with Palestine.

In Israel's arsenal there is a wide variety of long range means to attack Iraq. Those include ground-to-ground strategic missiles known as Jericho I and Jericho II that car hit any target anywhere in Iraq. Besides, Israel lately received from the US two F-15-I strategic fighter bombers which added up to a number of strategic fighter bombers that Israel has and that can be used in swift attacks on Iraqi targets, similar to the raid on Iraq's nuclear reactor near Baghdad in 1981.

The other option that Israel might resort to in attacking Iraq is its airborne special forces. A few years ago, a special unit was training to assassinate Iraqi President Saddam Hussein when the drill failed and one missile hit by mistake a site manned with Israeli soldiers, killing and wounding a number of them. The drill was based on new technology that Israel was introducing to its army using laser-guided missiles.

Previous Stories:
  Moussa - Clinton - Blair on Iraq   (2/6/1998)
  Israel: we'll do what we want, international order for the weak   (2/6/1998)
  Dissecting US sanctions: The domestic politics   (1/28/1998)

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