Hit Iran Now

[Commando]

If Iran's nukes were hot in 6 months. Then quite easily they would distribute them to terrorists and into Israel. Then down goes Israel.

What is Israel waiting for with the pre emptive strike they should hit now.

[dalem]

If Iran's nukes were hot in 6 months. Then quite easily they would distribute them to terrorists and into Israel. Then down goes Israel.

What is Israel waiting for with the pre emptive strike they should hit now.

Hit where? It seems that this time around all the important stuff is dispersed underground. The U.S. military can destroy any target on the planet with relatively pinpoint accuracy any time we want, but we have to be able to see it first. Israel has a lesser ability but the same problem - a good target list.

-dale

[antelope]

I speculate that since Israel states Iran is six months away from nuclear weapons production I am willing to bet their best estimates really say about a year. The six month time frame is the length of time they are willing to give America to get the situation handled before they take measures in their own hands.

The biggest problem as stated earlier is that much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure is dispersed and underground. I have read that there are 300 separate targets in Iran related to the nuclear infrastructure. Many of these targets are impervious to conventional bombing. Those that believe in the bunker buster bomb ability need to take a hard look at the poor performance of the U.S. Air Force in destroying Serbian underground and mountain facilities during the Kosovo campaign and the after action reviews of the use of bunker busters in Iraq. Needless to say the bunker busters we have now are NOT going to do the job.

From what I have read there are only two solutions to the Iran problem, neither of which is very popular:

You either wage a war for regime change so all the nuclear infrastructure can be dismantled after the fact or

You have to use tactical nuclear strikes on the known critical nuclear infrastructure.

I think Syria is being pushed hard now in the hope of provoking Syria and Iran into a war justifying regime change in both countries. 2005 is the year of decision in the War on Terror. Either these states go down or else America and Israel has to live in a new paradyme with a nuclear armed Iran a fait accompli.

[Praxus]

Hit where? It seems that this time around all the important stuff is dispersed underground. The U.S. military can destroy any target on the planet with relatively pinpoint accuracy any time we want, but we have to be able to see it first. Israel has a lesser ability but the same problem - a good target list.

-dale

Nah, we know exactly where their reactors are. They can't build them under the ground given the cost and the fact that we would be watching such a major project.

[Commando]

Ok then lets go with Praxus theory.
If Israel knows where they all are how will they act?

[Praxus]

Well we'll probably complain and thats about it.

[Commando]

Its amazing that with the air force Israel have they still are reluctant to strike Iran.

[Europeanarmy]

Its amazing that with the air force Israel have they still are reluctant to strike Iran.

If they strike Iran preemptively, they would have serious problems with their neighbours and the international community. They have more important problems at home with the Palestinians.

[Praxus]

If they strike Iran preemptively, they would have serious problems with their neighbours and the international community. They have more important problems at home with the Palestinians.

Their neighbors won't do jack about it, because they can't do anything about. All they can do without sparking a conventional war is support more terrorism, but it's not like they wouldn't do that anyway.

[Confed999]

If they strike Iran preemptively, they would have serious problems with their neighbours and the international community. They have more important problems at home with the Palestinians.

If they break treaties, it's not really a pre-emptive strike.

[Ray]

The reactor and the manufacturing of the bomb is not done at the same place, nor is the matching at the same place. Therefore, it requires a lot of legwork and humanint to know all the locations.

Pre-emptive strikes into thin air will not suffice.

Pragmatically speaking and without being partisan, it would be fair to say that the neighbours will react. There is a wide feeling that Islam is under threat and this feeling that was not there before. If the Islam govts do not react, then their leaders will be lynched. That such an eventuality can occur has been so evidently proved in the Lebanon crisis where inspite of the world opinion, the Shias could muster a massive strength to indicate where their loyalties lie. Therefore, notwithstanding what one feels they can do, they can do something equally that was not bargained for and what to most appear as sane. The quotient of unpredictability is rather high.

There is enough of evidence that the Moslem for a 'cause' can sacrifice themselves most abnormally by being human bombs.

Therefore, any gung ho reaction will be disasterous and so the US is approaching the issue very correctly so far, by first testing the waters.

[Julie]

Its amazing that with the air force Israel have they still are reluctant to strike Iran.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Israel partake in an airstrike against Iran, once before when they were attempting to develop nuclear weapons? I'll have to research that, but I know I read it somewhere.

[troung]

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Israel partake in an airstrike against Iran, once before when they were attempting to develop nuclear weapons? I'll have to research that, but I know I read it somewhere."

No. Israel and Iran teamed up to bomb Iraq...

Iran damaged the site then Israel flew a mission to take it out.

[Ray]

Hey, suddenly some thing hit my mind.

Could it be something is up?

The Syrians in Lebanon, which is one side of Israel has been cleared. Does reduce the threat in case Iran is attacked. Could this be a precursor for the events to follow?

[troung]

Took you that long

Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran...