Post by Paddy by Grace on Sept 24, 2009 8:41:27 GMT -7
Dozens of Israeli warplanes fly low over Gaza in show of muscle for Iran
www2.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6277
DEBKAfile's military sources report that dozens of low-flying Israeli Air Force warplanes coasted over the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for two hours Monday, Sept. 21 in a show of strength unparalleled since 100 IAF jets practiced long-distance flights in June 2008 against Russian-made S-300 anti-missile systems based in Greece.
The show of air strength, over Gaza City and the southern towns of Deir el Balakh, Khan Younes and Rafah ,was timed for prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's departure for New York and defense minister Ehud Barak's arrival in Washington for talks with defense secretary Robert Gates.
It was planned by the two Israeli leaders - and prompted by chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi - in the realization of the need to restore some bite to Israel's deterrent strength against a hostile Iran and its proxies, Hizballah and Hamas. This strength was badly dented by a spate of ill-judged statements over last weekend.
Out of the blue, Barak told a press interviewer Thursday, Sept. 17, that Iran was no threat to Israel's existence. Two days later, Brig. Tal Rousso, director of operations in the IDF general staff, repeated the comment.
Sunday, the defense minister advised the NYT: "The central challenge for the US now was how to handle North Korea's nuclear weapons because that would greatly influence Iran." It sounded as though Iran was an afterthought. Washington found his comment on US-North Korean relations both unwanted and far-fetched.
On Sunday too, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev told the CNN: "My Israeli colleagues assure me they are not planning to attack Iran." President Shimon Peres was cited as one of those "colleagues."
The general effect of these statements, which flatly contradicted the policies of every Israeli government and member, was of muddle and loss of focus in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Our military sources report that Monday, Sept. 21, the prime minister and chief of staff accordingly got together on ways to control the damage these statements had caused Israel's deterrence. The harm was compounded by the negative impact of the one-sided UN report accusing Israel of war crimes in the Gaza War and suggesting Israel officers could face trial before foreign courts.
Netanyahu and Ashkenazi made it their first priority to blot out the impression that Israel had retreated from its military option against Iran's nuclear weapons bid before the two Iran-backed terrorist groups, Hizballah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, decided to exploit Israel's apparent softening.
The Israeli army chief there and then delivered a statement to the army radio network stressing that Israel's military operation against Iran was still very much on the table. He later warned: The Goldstone Report must not be used by terrorists as a license to strike from civilian population. Israel would not let this happen in the future either.
His words resonated hardly at all through the world media. Hoping for a bigger splash - at least on US, Iranian and Arab radar - he ordered the Israeli Air Force , too, recognizing the need to correct the impression he had created, informed Gates in Washington that Israel stood by its right to strike Iran's nuclear sites.
www2.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6277
DEBKAfile's military sources report that dozens of low-flying Israeli Air Force warplanes coasted over the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for two hours Monday, Sept. 21 in a show of strength unparalleled since 100 IAF jets practiced long-distance flights in June 2008 against Russian-made S-300 anti-missile systems based in Greece.
The show of air strength, over Gaza City and the southern towns of Deir el Balakh, Khan Younes and Rafah ,was timed for prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's departure for New York and defense minister Ehud Barak's arrival in Washington for talks with defense secretary Robert Gates.
It was planned by the two Israeli leaders - and prompted by chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi - in the realization of the need to restore some bite to Israel's deterrent strength against a hostile Iran and its proxies, Hizballah and Hamas. This strength was badly dented by a spate of ill-judged statements over last weekend.
Out of the blue, Barak told a press interviewer Thursday, Sept. 17, that Iran was no threat to Israel's existence. Two days later, Brig. Tal Rousso, director of operations in the IDF general staff, repeated the comment.
Sunday, the defense minister advised the NYT: "The central challenge for the US now was how to handle North Korea's nuclear weapons because that would greatly influence Iran." It sounded as though Iran was an afterthought. Washington found his comment on US-North Korean relations both unwanted and far-fetched.
On Sunday too, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev told the CNN: "My Israeli colleagues assure me they are not planning to attack Iran." President Shimon Peres was cited as one of those "colleagues."
The general effect of these statements, which flatly contradicted the policies of every Israeli government and member, was of muddle and loss of focus in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Our military sources report that Monday, Sept. 21, the prime minister and chief of staff accordingly got together on ways to control the damage these statements had caused Israel's deterrence. The harm was compounded by the negative impact of the one-sided UN report accusing Israel of war crimes in the Gaza War and suggesting Israel officers could face trial before foreign courts.
Netanyahu and Ashkenazi made it their first priority to blot out the impression that Israel had retreated from its military option against Iran's nuclear weapons bid before the two Iran-backed terrorist groups, Hizballah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, decided to exploit Israel's apparent softening.
The Israeli army chief there and then delivered a statement to the army radio network stressing that Israel's military operation against Iran was still very much on the table. He later warned: The Goldstone Report must not be used by terrorists as a license to strike from civilian population. Israel would not let this happen in the future either.
His words resonated hardly at all through the world media. Hoping for a bigger splash - at least on US, Iranian and Arab radar - he ordered the Israeli Air Force , too, recognizing the need to correct the impression he had created, informed Gates in Washington that Israel stood by its right to strike Iran's nuclear sites.