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Germany supplying Israel’s “floating nuclear arsenal”

Rising To The Surface: Germany?s Hushed Shipments Of Nuclear-Capable Submarines To Israel ANALYSIS A new report is raising important questions about Germany’s commitment to Israel’s defense capabilities.International Business Times, BY Jacey Fortin | June 06 2012

German magazine Der Spiegel published an investigative article in and online on Monday, arguing that German officials were aware that the submarines they have supplied to Israel over the past several years are capable of launching nuclear warheads.

Research Spiegel has conducted in Germany, Israel and the United States, among current and past government ministers, military officials, defense engineers and intelligence agents, no longer leaves any room for doubt: With the help of German maritime technology, Israel has managed to create for itself a floating nuclear weapon arsenal: submarines equipped with nuclear capability, said the article.
Officially, Israel does not admit to having nuclear weapons in the first place. Also officially, the German government denies any knowledge of Israel’s nuclear capabilities or intentions. Continue reading →

November 9, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Changing nature of Israel – Iran nuclear standoff

The Drone in the Desert http://isnblog.ethz.ch/ Itamar Rabinovich, 8 November 2012 TEL AVIV – A drone recently penetrated Israel’s airspace from the Mediterranean. It was allowed to fly for about half an hour over southern Israel before being shot down by the Israeli air force over a sparsely populated area.

It is still not known who dispatched the drone and from where, but it is now assumed that it was launched from Lebanon, either by Hezbollah, acting in Iran’s service, or by forces of the Iranian regime itself.
If that is indeed the case, the episode should not be regarded as yet another incident in a region fraught by conflict and violence. On the contrary, it is a significant window into the arena in which the conflict over the future of Iran’s nuclear program is being waged.
Several developments and forces are now shaping this arena. One is by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision, announced in his
speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, to suspend his threat to launch unilateral military action against Iran’s nuclear installations. He has said that Israel will give the US and the rest of the international community an opportunity to stop Iran’s progress through other means by the spring or early summer of 2013. (more…)

November 9, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran and Israel – moderate responses on nuclear issue

Could Iran’s Supreme Leader be more cautious than we think?
The Telegraph, By David Blair World   November 1st, 2012 My interview with Ehud Barak  in London on Tuesday attracted a good deal of attention and comment. The Israeli defence minister’s most striking statement concerned Iran’s decision to convert much of its stockpile of 20 per cent enriched uranium into harmless fuel rods. Without that event, Barak confirmed that the crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions would “probably” have peaked about now. Instead, Iran’s decision “allows contemplating delaying the moment of truth by eight to ten months”.

In his speech before the UN General Assembly in September, Benjamin Netanyahu softened Israel’s position on the possibility of an imminent military strike, saying that the critical moment would arrive next spring or summer. Barak told me that Iran’s move was “in the background of our decision”.

So the figures tucked away on page 8 of the last IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear programme  turned out to be of vital importance. They showed that Iran took 71.25 kg of its stockpile of 20 per cent enriched uranium and converted it into fuel rods for the Tehran Research Reactor, a civilian facility. The uranium enriched to 20 per cent purity is the material that is closest to weapons-grade. Out of a total holding of 189.4 kg, Iran has devoted 37.6 per cent to a peaceful purpose…..

In 2003, we know that Iran suspended its research on how to build a nuclear warhead (although the evidence suggests that some work was restarted later). Now we know that during the course of this year, Iran took a big chunk of the uranium that was closest to weapons-grade and used it for a harmless purpose. Thanks to Barak’s candour, we also know that this decision probably averted a crisis.

Could Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, be more cautious than we think? Instead of treading a straight Roman Road to a nuclear weapon, he has twice veered off course. To me, that suggests that he is nervous and feeling the pressure. Is the ultimate destination of Iran’s nuclear programme still an open question? http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidblair/100187473/could-irans-supreme-leader-be-more-cautious-than-we-think/

November 2, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

Israel’s secrecy on its nuclear weapons is getting ridiculous

Netanyahu’s ‘Crazy’ Talk Seen Threatening Israel’s Nuclear Ambiguity International Herald Tribune, By HARVEY MORRIS, OCTOBER 25, 2012,   LONDON — Israel will face mounting pressure to acknowledge the existence of its nuclear weapons arsenal as an unintended consequence of its government’s belligerent stance towards Iran, according to a former Israeli intelligence chief.

Ami Ayalon, former head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, says, “The world won’t let you have nuclear ambiguity if you act crazy.” In an interview with Rendezvous during a visit to London, Mr. Ayalon said Israel’s special status was at risk as a result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats of military action against Iran’s nuclear plants if sanctions failed to persuade Tehran to abandon its alleged ambition to build a bomb.

Mr. Ayalon is among a number of serving and former defense and intelligence chiefs  who have challenged the wisdom of threatening Iran with a unilateral strike.

His latest warning came as Finland prepared  to host an international conference soon to debate turning the Middle East into a nuclear weapons-free region. The Israeli government has said it is against such a meeting, at which the issue of Israel’s own unacknowledged nuclear arsenal is certain to be raised.

“Mr. Netanyahu has been playing the role of irresponsible player in the region,” with his threats against Iran, according to Mr. Ayalon. “That raises the questions: Does he mean it? And what is the price?”…. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/netanyahus-crazy-talk-seen-threatening-israels-nuclear-ambiguity/

October 26, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Drone may have been heading for Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor

Route of Drone Hints It May Have Been Aimed at Nuclear Reactor The strange route of the enemy drone downed by the IAF indicates Israel may have diverted it from flying over the Dimona nuclear reactor. Arutz Sheva By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu  10/7/2012,  
The enemy drone downed by the Air Force, Saturday, took a strange route that did not cover strategic sites, indicating Israel may have diverted it from a route over the nuclear reactor in Dimona, located due east of Gaza.

The UAV entered Israeli air space from the Mediterranean Sea along the Gaza Coast and then made a U-turn, flying over the southern Hevron Hills before an F-16 plane destroyed it over a non-populated area.

The route raises questions because there are no army or air force bases or any other strategic sites along the route.

Officials estimate that it was guided by a pre-programmed GPS inside the drone and not from a control center at its origin, apparently Hizbullah-dominated southern Lebanon, DEBKA File reported. Israel may have carried out a cyber attack to scramble the GPS and change its route….. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/160604#.UHMZH5jA9dM

October 8, 2012 Posted by | Israel, politics international | 1 Comment

Attack on Iran the “stupidest idea” says former Mossad chief

Meir Dagan, Former Mossad Chief, Says Attack On Iran ‘Stupidest Idea’ He’s Ever Heard (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/16/meir-dagan-mossad-iran-attack-stupid_n_1888840.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000032  The Huffington Post  |  By Mark Hanrahan, 17 Sept 12,  Meir Dagan, a former head of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, says that an attack on Iran would be the “stupidest idea [I’ve] ever heard.”

Speaking to ’60 Minutes’ Dagan said: “An attack on Iran now before exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it [sic].”

Dagan, a man who Iranian authorities reportedly claim has dispatched assassins, computer viruses and faulty equipment in a bid to delay the country’s nuclear program, appears to have developed a surprising appreciation for the Islamic Republic’s regime – which is a sworn enemy of Israel.

“The regime in Iran is a very rational regime,” according to Dagan. Asked if he felt the regime in Iran was capable of backing down from an escalating crisis over the country’s nuclear program, he replied: “No doubt that the Iranian regime is not exactly rational based on what I would call ‘Western Thinking,’ but no doubt they are considering all the implications of their actions.”

Dagan’s interview is in stark contrast to the opinions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appeared on ‘Meet The Press’ earlier. Netanyahu said that supporters of the policy of ‘containing’ Iran and its nuclear ambitions “set a new standard for human stupidity.”

September 20, 2012 Posted by | Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

No sensible reason for Israel to attack Iran, following new nuclear report

New Iran Nuclear Report Should Not Be Signal to Attack Bloomberg, By the Editors Aug 31, 2012  The latest report on Iran’s nuclear program  from the International Atomic Energy Agency  gives ample ammunition to Israeli leaders who argue that they need to bomb now. The report confirms what we have long understood, that Iran  is working to build a nuclear weapons capability.

But that’s all. The report doesn’t change the calculus about whether Israeli airstrikes would be the best way to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons effort, and it doesn’t say Iran is building a weapon. Continue reading →

September 1, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Unlikely that Israel would attack Iran

Four reasons why Israel probably won’t attack Iran Telegraph, By David Blair World August 23rd, 2012 “…..1. War with Iran would be bad for Israel. The Iranian people would probably respond to outside attack by rallying behind their leaders and strengthening a deeply unpopular regime. Iran would hit back through Hizbollah in Lebanon and by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, with serious civilian casualties in Israel and incalculable consequences for the global economy. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad would have the opportunity to pose alongside Iran as a dual victim of a Zionist plot against the Muslim world. It might be just the boost that Assad needs. And the best the Israeli air force could achieve would be to delay – not derail – Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading →

August 24, 2012 Posted by | Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

Netanyahu and Ehud Barak wanting war, against all good advice?

Zone of Insanity Are Bibi Netanyahu and Ehud Barak really crazy enough to bomb Iran — against the wishes of the United States and their own people? Foreign Policy,   BY JAMES TRAUB | AUGUST 17, 2012  It must drive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crazy that scarcely anybody outside his immediate circle of advisors — oh, and Mitt Romney — understands the imperative for war against Iran.

Israel’s retired security chiefs uniformly consider a war unnecessary right now. Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, agrees. A poll released this week found the Israeli public opposed to war by a solid 46 percent to 32 percent. As for the United States, Defense Secretary Leon Panettainsists that “the window is still open to try to work toward a diplomatic solution.” ……

It’s unclear whether Netanyahu is trying to prepare domestic public opinion for an imminent Israeli strike on Iran, or hoping to bully U.S. President Barack Obama into making some sort of ironclad promise to launch airstrikes — should Iran cross some stipulated red line or should diplomacy fail to deter the Iranians by a stipulated date. Netanyahu would plainly prefer an American attack, which would do far more damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure than an Israeli one would, but he may have concluded (as Barak intimated) that Israel will have to act alone rather than risk American inaction. Yet Netanyahu has put Obama in the almost impossible position of having to reassure Israel that the United States will act if necessary — thus reassuring American swing voters that he has Israel’s back — without binding himself to fight Israel’s war on Israel’s terms. Obama has already allowed Israel to back him into a corner by saying that he would go to war rather than accept a nuclear Iran, but apparently Netanyahu and Barak don’t believe him…..

The real danger, of course, is that Netanyahu might conclude that Israel has to go it alone. The smart money still thinks he’s bluffing, but Ross told me that the “decision-maker” interview convinced him that Barak and Netanyahu really are prepared to fight their own war. The Obama administration has prepared for this eventuality with a series of statements paying elaborate deference to Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself as it sees fit. I can only say that I hope that officials are sending a different message in private — making it very clear to their Israeli counterparts that they will not be drawn into a war with Iran and that a unilateral decision by Israel will do very grave harm to relations with the United States. If Netanyahu wants to go ahead anyway and pay that price on top of everything else — if “an existential threat” means that it’s irresponsible to balance benefits with costs — then it’s up to the Israeli public to decide what to do about their fearless, feckless leader. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/17/zone_of_insanity

August 18, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Strike on Iran’s nuclear program could provoke bloody month-long war: Israeli defence chief  National Post, Amy Teibel, Associated Press | Aug 15, 2012 JERUSALEM — An Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program could trigger a bloody month-long war on multiple fronts, killing hundreds of Israelis or more, the Israeli Cabinet’s civil defence chief warned in an interview published Wednesday.

It was the most explicit assessment yet of how the government sees events unfolding in the aftermath of an Israeli attack.

Matan Vilnai, who is stepping down as the “home front” Cabinet minister to become Israel’s ambassador to China, described the scenarios to Israel’s Maariv daily at a time of heightened debate about the Iranian nuclear threat. Vilnai, a retired general who was
deputy military chief of staff, has spent the past five years overseeing upgrades of Israel’s civil defence systems, including air-raid sirens, bomb shelters and a public alert system.

It could be that there will be fewer fatalities, but it could be there will be more. That is the scenario that we are preparing for according to the best experts
In the Maariv interview, Vilnai said “the home front is ready as never before.” Nonetheless, he said the country must be braced for heavy casualties in the case of conflict with Iran……

At a news briefing in Washington on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
reaffirmed the U.S. assessment that Israel has not yet decided whether to strike, while the U.S. military chief, Gen. Martin Dempsey, echoed a widely held assessment that an Israeli operation would only set back, not destroy, Iran’s nuclear project.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/15/strike-on-irans-nuclear-program-could-provoke-bloody-month-long-war-israeli-defence-chief/

August 16, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Agressive statements from Israel leaders upsetting Iran, and upsetting Israel’s military leaders

The report claimed that the prime minister and the defense minister were encountering stiff resistance to the idea of ordering the strike now from military and intelligence chiefs

Talk of military strike ‘makes Tehran nervous’ Jerusalem Post, By YAAKOV LAPPIN08/13/2012 Israeli media continue to be dominated by reports of supposed imminent strike on Iran’s nuclear program.ran is disturbed by threats emanating from Israel to strike its nuclear sites and takes such threats seriously, a senior Iran expert told The
Jerusalem Post. Continue reading →

August 13, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

Israel, not Iran, greatest threat to world peace

“The greatest threat to the world is clearly nuclear-armed Israel with its almost daily threats to launch an attack on Iran, inevitably involving the U.S. in a potentially catastrophic Middle East war,” 

Hush  Now, Mitt: A Nuclear Iran Is Not the World’s Greatest Threat, The Atlantic,  AUG 7 2012,   Three-quarters of national security experts polled disagreed with the candidate. Three-quarters of National Journal’s National Security Insiders disagreed with a recent statement by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who said a nuclear Iran represents the greatest threat to the world.

If Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon, Romney told Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, it would pose the most serious threat to the world, to the United States and to Israel’s existence.

Not so, said 73 percent of NJ’s pool of national-security experts, even as they acknowledged that a nuclear Iran could have a destabilizing effect on the Middle East and erode international nonproliferation efforts. “It would be an unmitigated negative for U.S. interests,” one Insider said. “But it is not the greatest security threat facing the U.S. or the world at large.” Continue reading →

August 8, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

USA, Iran developed “Flame” computer virus against Iran’s nuclear program

Flame malware developed by US, Israel to slow Iranian nuclear efforts   http://www.slashgear.com/flame-malware-developed-by-us-israel-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-19234747/  Rue Liu, Jun 19th 2012  It turns out that the massive Flame malware attack last month was a sophisticated computer virus developed by the US and Israel in an effort to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Citing unnamed Western officials with knowledge of the effort, the Washington Post reported that the attack involved the National Security Agency, the CIA, and Israel’s military as well as the use of the infamous Stuxnet virus. The Flame virus was first discovered last month when Iran detected a series of cyber attacks on its oil industry. Although the attacks were allegedly carried out by Israel alone, the software used was developed in collaboration with the US, adopting much of the same code as the Stuxnet virus.

The virus is said to be the most sophisticated malware discovered to date. Masquerading as a routine Microsoft software, Flame was able to replicate itself across even highly secure networks, control everyday computer functions, send back secret information, log keystrokes, control computer cameras and microphones, take screen shots, and even extract geolocation data from images. Story Timeline……  http://www.slashgear.com/flame-malware-developed-by-us-israel-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-19234747/

June 20, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons for Israel submarines

Israeli subs can carry nuclear weapons’ By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST  06/04/2012 ‘Der Spiegel’ claims that German-supplied Dolphin fleet has second-strike capability.BERLIN – The German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that German-manufactured Dolphin-class submarines delivered to the Israel
Navy can be equipped with technology for carrying nuclear warheads.

Over the years there has been a swirl of German media reports about the nuclear capability of Israel’s submarines, ever since the shipment of the first Dolphins arrived in the late 1990s.

In an article in Der Spiegel titled “Made in Germany,” experts from Israel and Germany confirmed that the “ships are armed with nuclear warheads. And Berlin has long been aware of that.”…… http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=272562

June 4, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iran’s leadership ‘rational’ about nuclear weapons, says Israel’s military chief

Israeli military chief: Iran will not decide to make nuclear weapons Guardian UK   by  25 April 2012 Benny Gantz has told Israeli daily Haaretz that the Iranian leadership is composed of very rational people 

Israel‘s military chief, Benny Gantz, has stated he doesn’t believe Iran will decide to make nuclear weapons and that Iranian key decision makers are rational. Continue reading →

May 7, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

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