U.S.: IAF strike on Iran won't help
A report compiled by the U.S. Military Academy says an Israeli air strike on Iran's nuclear facility is unlikely to hamper Iran's nuclear ambitions
According to Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the report compiled by the U.S. Military Academy said the Israel Air Force could
The report however acknowledged Israel’s “impressive” aerial superiority against the rest of its Arab neighbors.
Entitled “To be ready for Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” the report noted that the prospect of an Israeli strike on Iran hinges on the capability of the F15-I and F16 fighter jets to strike targets as far as 600 kilometers from their bases.
Iran is 1000 kilometers away from the Jewish State, making it all the more complicated for the air force to carry out an aerial adventure over the Arab Peninsula and Persian Gulf to reach Iran’s nuclear facilities.
- Iran threatens counter-strike
- Halutz: No hope for diplomacy with Iran
- Iran: We will build 20 nuclear plants
- Sharon: Israel will not accept nuclear Iran
Iran strike is comlpicated maneuver
If in fact Israel decides to take the bull by the horns, a military operation of this scope would not just require fighter jets but also jets for refueling, spying and rescue.
“Israel can attack pinpoint targets yet
could not lead a campaign against all Iranian nuclear targets,” the report read.
An attack on the Bushehr nuclear plant in southern Iran is unlikely to debilitate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions since other major reactors are planted deep in Iran, some 1700 kilometers away from Israel.
The report casts doubt on whether India or Turkey, two countries who have friendly relations with Israel and are closer to the Persian Gulf, would allow Israel to launch attacks against Iran from their territory.
Iran undeterred by international pressure
On Monday Iran announced plans to construct a second nuclear power plant despite international concern over its nuclear program.
Iranian state television said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and cabinet ministers decided Sunday night to build the reactor in Khuzistan province, southwestern Iran.
The decision alarmed the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Mohamed el-Baradei, who reinforced the Israeli and American stance as to Iran's nuclear threat, telling British daily The Independent that the international community is concerned about Iran’s nuclear activities "because lots of people feel it could be a dual purpose program."
El-Baradei estimated that once Iran's mothballed Natanz underground enrichment plant becomes operational, Iranians could be "a few months" away from a nuclear weapon.
International Atomic Energy Agency officials have said that it would take at least two years for the facility to become fully operational.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
