War (of Words) with Syria
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Monday, Oct 13, 2003
Iran warns Israel over reports of planned air strike
Ha'aretz -- October 13, 2003
By News Agencies and Haaretz Service
TEHRAN - The Iranian government issued a warning to
Israel over reports appearing in a German news
magazine Monday that Jerusalem was researching how
to strike Iranian nuclear sites.
Sneh dismisses report Israel modified Harpoon missiles on submarines
Associated Press via Jerusalem Post -- October 12, 2003
Israeli and foreign defense experts Sunday dismissed a report that Israel had modified submarine-based missiles to carry nuclear warheads, saying such a modification was technically impossible.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Israel had modified some of its nuclear warheads to fit US-made Harpoon cruise missiles and upgraded the missiles so they could hit targets on land in addition to maritime ones, according to two US officials and one Israeli official.
Israel made the modifications in response to Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions, the Times reported. Both the US and Israel see Iran as an implacable enemy and say it is close to developing nuclear weapons that might be used against Israeli targets.
Former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sneh called the assertion that Israel had made the Harpoon nuclear "impossible."
"Anyone with even the slightest understanding of missiles knows that the Harpoon can never be used to carry nuclear warheads," Sneh told Army Radio. "Not even (Israel's) extraordinarily talented engineers and its sophisticated defense industries can transform the Harpoon into a missile capable of doing this. It's simply impossible."
Ted Hooton, editor of Jane's Naval Weapon Systems in London, echoed Sneh's assessment, saying that problems with payload weight would put the Harpoon out of balance, drastically limiting its range and accuracy.
Israel plans to invade Syria: Mahathir
AFP via Khaleej Times and Al Jazeerah -- October 11, 2003
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - Israel plans to invade Syria and drag the United States into the war, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday.
“Israel has been urging America to invade Syria, but America seems to be reluctant. So, in order to force the hands of America, Israel is going to invade Syria,” Mahathir was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Syria, Israel Engaged In War Of Words
IslamOnline -- October 11, 2003
DAMASCUS (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Syria and Israel were engaged in a war of words Saturday, October 11, with Damascus saying it reserves the right to retaliate Israeli attacks and Tel Aviv arguing that countries "harboring terrorist organizations" are legitimate targets.
Sharon Acts Tough, Sensing U.S. Assent
New York Times -- October 12, 2003
Chill in U.S.-Syria Ties Helps Clear Way for Israeli Raid on Terror Camp
Syrian Reverse On Intelligence Hardens U.S.
Forward -- October 10, 2003
By ORI NIR
WASHINGTON — Syria has in recent weeks stopped supplying Washington with valuable intelligence, which in the past was helping the United States in fighting Al Qaeda and terrorism in Iraq, congressional, diplomatic and intelligence sources told the Forward.
The Syrian reversal appears to have played a major role in the Bush administration's sympathetic response to the Israeli bombing last Sunday of a deserted terrorist training camp in Syria, following the suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant the day before in which 19 Israelis were killed.
The deterioration of American-Syrian relations also seems to have played an important role in Israel's decision to retaliate to the suicide bombing by launching an air raid against the site, about 10 miles northwest of Damascus. It was the first time in three decades that Israel attacked targets in Syria.
"Several administration officials have made it clear" that while the administration may have been soft on Syria until now because of its intelligence cooperation, "that is not the situation now — the Syrians stopped cooperating," said Matthew Levitt, a former FBI terrorism analyst who is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank
[Nice analysis by the Guardian.]
Israel deploys nuclear arms in submarines
The Observer -- October 12, 2003
Peter Beaumont in London and Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Israeli and American officials have admitted collaborating to deploy US-supplied Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in Israel's fleet of Dolphin-class submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to strike at any of its Arab neighbours.
[The hawk in question is John "screw the UN" Bolton.]
US Hawk Warns Iran Threat Must Be Eliminated
Guardian via Common Dreams -- October 10, 2003
by Richard Norton-Taylor
An American official warned yesterday that the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program had to be "eliminated" and predicted Tehran would try to "throw sand" in the eyes of the world to avoid a confrontation at the UN.
Israel ready to launch preemptive strike on nuclear sites in Iran: report
AFP via SpaceWar -- October 11, 2003
BERLIN
Israel's spy agency Mossad has drawn up preemptive attack plans on six sites in Iran it suspects are being used to prepare nuclear weapons, Der Spiegel magazine says in its Monday edition, citing Israeli security officials
Report: Mossad, IAF have plan for Iran nuke sites
Jerusalem Post -- October 11, 2003
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported Saturday that Israel has prepared plans for a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities in order to halt Iran's progress towards attaining nuclear weapons.
Der Spiegel reported that a special unit of the Mossad received an order two months ago to prepare a detailed plan to destroy Iran's nuclear sites. According to the paper, the Mossad's plan is ready and has been delivered to the Israeli Air Force, which will carry out the strike