By Gilad Atzmon
Israeli Ynet admitted today that an Israeli air force attack on Iran is unrealistic. The Israeli paper quoted a New York Times article that described such an attack as ‘highly complex operation’. It would require at least 100 planes. Israeli jets would have to refuel in the air en route, fight off Iran’s air defenses and attack multiple underground sites simultaneously.
American military experts seem to agree amongst themselves that Israel doesn’t necessarily has the means to accomplish such an operation.
The first problem Israel faces is how to get to Iran. ”Israel has American-built F-15I and F-16I fighter jets that can carry bombs to the targets, but their range — depending on altitude, speed and payload — falls far short of the minimum 2,000-mile round trip. That does not include an aircraft’s ‘loiter time’ over a target plus the potential of having to fight off attacks from Iranian missiles and planes,” according to the report.
In any case, the report claimed, Israel would have to use airborne refueling planes, called tankers, but Israel is “not thought to have enough.”
Israel would also need to use its electronic warfare planes to penetrate Iran’s air defenses and jam its radar systems to create a corridor for an attack.
The analysts said another major hurdle is Israel’s inventory of bombs capable of penetrating the Natanz nuclear plant, believed to be buried under 30 feet of reinforced concrete, and the Fordo site, which is built into a mountain.
For some reason, the Ynet article failed to list the grave inevitable consequences of any aggression against Iran. Such consequences include destruction of Israeli cities following barrages of Iranian missiles. But we may also bear in mind the possibility of a nuclear conflict that escalates into a global war.
The message to the Israelis is pretty clear. Israel’s military options are running out. There is no way to maintain the Jewish State by the sword. The time is overdue for Israel to drop its expansionist genocidial philosophy. If Israelis really want to live in the region, they must pursue every means towards peace immediately.
Israel should voluntarily open its nuclear facilities to international inspection. Israel must sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and dismantle its own atomic bombs immediately. Israel better grasp what humanity is all about, before it is too late.
– Gilad Atzmon is a writer and jazz musician living in London. His latest CD is In Loving Memory of America, and his latest book is The Wondering Who?. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
