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Reports
are surfacing of a US-Israeli plan to attack Iran’s ballistic missile
batteries, giving Israel extra space to tackle Syria. While no
talks have been confirmed, anonymous sources claim that war plans have been put
to paper.
While
it’s unclear how far-reaching the US and Israeli plans are, some say the allies
have detailed intentions to destroy the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missiles –
and let Israel launch an assault on Syria to boot.
An
anonymous US military source told DEBKAfile, a website covering Israel-related
security issues, that the US Air Force will be tasked with destroying Iran’s
Shahab-3 ballistic missile batteries. Each of these missiles has a range of
1,280 kilometers (800 miles), making them capable of reaching Israel and Saudi
Arabia.
Upgraded
versions of the Shahab-3′s can reach targets 2,000 kilometers away. In the
past, Iran has warned that its missiles will always be ready to launch in case
of an attack.
By
destroying the Shahabs-3′s, Israel would be able to focus its energy on taking
on perceived threats from Syria, and the Palestinian Hamas,
without having to worry about an attack from Iran, the official told DEBKAfile.
And
last weekend, an anonymous senior US official told an Israeli newspaper that
National Security Advisor Tom Donilon had briefed Israeli authorities on a
contingency plan, in case of a showdown with Iran.
Israel
has denied reports of such a plan, but last week’s talks between US Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have still caused
a heated debate.
If
tensions with Iran increase, some predict the US may attack the Islamic
Republic’s nuclear facilities in an attempt to protect Israel, the source said
in a briefing.
But
Tehran is only estimated to have between 30 and 40 of these missiles – a small
number that could hardly make a dent during times of war. If used against the
US and its allies, the missiles would be quickly destroyed by the American
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Systems and Israel’s Arrow guided interceptor
rockets.
Even
if the missiles had a chance to reach their targets, the military source told
DEBKAfile that Iran would probably not waste them all at once.
“They
are too canny to leave themselves without some Shahabs in reserve for crises
even more acute than the outbreak of war,” the source said.
But
Iran has other missiles. Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said the
fourth generation of high-precision Fateh-110 missiles, with a range of over
300 kilometers (185 miles), was successfully test-fired on Saturday, showing Iran’s
ability to strike targets in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“Using
new guidance methods, target-striking systems were installed on the missiles
and during the flight test … its ability to hit the target without deviation
was proven,” Vahidi told the IRNA news agency.
Last
month, the Pentagon reported that Iran is working on a missile capable of
reaching the United States, and is aiming for completion of the project within
the next three years.
And
after the US angered Tehran by voting for greater sanctions last week, war
seems ever more likely. Israel is now upgrading its Arrow II ballistic missile
shield, which is designed to neutralize incoming missiles at altitudes high
enough for non-conventional warheads to disintegrate safely.
And
whether or not the US Army is ready for another war, the latest sanctions,
combined with Iran’s ballistic missile testing, continue to escalate tensions
between the US and the Islamic Republic.
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