Israel acting like they might attack Iran

Politics International Politics
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What should the U.S. do?

  • Side with Israel against Iran
  • Side with Iran against Israel.
  • Remain neutral and do nothing.
  • Sell weapons to both sides. Profit.

0 voters

[quote]http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=281041
MANAMA: Israel is massing warplanes in the Caucasus for an attack on Iran, it was revealed yesterday.

Preparations are underway to launch the military attack from Azerbaijan and Georgia, reports our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej, quoting military sources.

Israel was, in fact, training pilots in Turkey to launch the strike and was smuggling planes into Georgia using Turkish airspace, they said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Press TV reported that a very large contingent of US ground forces had massed in Azerbaijan, near the Iranian border. The independent Azerbaijani news website Trend confirmed the report.

Those reports came just days after the Pentagon confirmed that an unusually large fleet of US warships had indeed passed through Egypt’s Suez Canal en route to the Gulf. At least one Israeli warship reportedly joined the American armada.

Press TV also quoted Iranian Revolultionary Guard Brigadier General Mehdi Moini as saying that the country’s forces are mobilised and ready to face Israelli and American “misadventures” near its borders.

[/quote]
and…

[quote]http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340 … 32,00.html

Report: IAF aircraft land at Saudi base

Islam Times says Israeli jets unloaded military equipment in Islamic country ahead of possible Iran strike

Dudi Cohen
Published: 06.23.10, 17:25 / Israel News

Israeli Air force aircraft landed during the past weekend at a military base in Saudi Arabia and unloaded large quantities of military gear, according to a report published Wednesday by Islamic website Islam Times.

The report, which has questionable credibility, claimed the equipment was unloaded at a base in the city of Tabuk, in the north western part of the country, ahead of a possible strike on Iran.

The controversial report was also published by the Iranian news agency Fars, under the title “Suspicious military activity of the Zionist regime in Saudi Arabia.”

According to the report, the IDF built a military base approximately 9 km (5.5 miles) from Tabuk, and while Israeli planes landed there on June 18 and 19, all civilian flights were cancelled at the local airport.

One of the passengers in Tabuk noted that civilians at the airport were not given an explanation for the flight cancellations, but were compensated by the Saudi authorities and accommodated in nearby hotels.

The report further claimed that “the secret relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia became the main topic of conversation among the city’s residents.”

Another report published two weeks ago claimed Saudi Arabia tested its defense missile systems In order to allow IAF airplanes to pass through its airspace en route to bombarding nuclear facilities in Iran.

Security elements in the Persian Gulf told the London-based Times magazine that Riyadh gave Israel the green light to fly through a narrow airspace in the north of the country, in order to shorten the flight time to the Islamic Republic.

According to the Times, in order to ensure that IAF aircraft are not intercepted by Saudi defense missiles, Riyadh conducted tests to make sure the system does not activate if Israeli planes are detected. After the aircraft clear the area, the system will resume to normal activity.[/quote]

This is not good. I hope it’s all saber-rattling, but I wish Israel would not threaten the security of the world this way. It’s like they’re daring Iran to do something about it. Of course the U.S. is between a rock and a hard place and will be condemned no matter what they do. I think Obama has enough on his plate right now.

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Palestine wants to attack Iran? Odd that. :ponder:

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Israel launching an attack from Saudi Arabia??? Yeah, I’m going to say the ‘questionable reliability’ of that report is a massive understatement.

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[quote=“Chuanzao El Ale Destroyer”]
This is not good. I hope it’s all saber-rattling, but I wish Israel would not threaten the security of the world this way. It’s like they’re daring Iran to do something about it. Of course the U.S. is between a rock and a hard place and will be condemned no matter what they do. I think Obama has enough on his plate right now.[/quote]

And I wish Iran wouldn’t arm and fund Hezbollah and Hamas, which have been threatening Israel with continual violence for years now. Unfortunately we can’t always get what we want. Iran is a far larger regional threat in the Middle East than Israel is. They are the one’s threatening the “security of the world” by pursuing nuclear weapons and regional hegemony.

Council on Foreign Relations

[quote]What terrorist groups are linked to Iran?

U.S. officials say Iran mostly backs Islamist groups, including the Lebanese Shiite militants of Hezbollah (which Iran helped found in the 1980s) and such Palestinian terrorist groups as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A few months after Hamas won the Palestinian Authority ¶ elections in early 2006, Iran pledged $50 million to the near-bankrupt PA. The United States, among other nations, has cut off aid to the PA because of Hamas’ terrorist ties.

Iran is suspected of encouraging Hezbollah’s July 2006 attack on Israel to deflect international attention from its nuclear weapons program. Iran was also reportedly involved in a Hezbollah-linked January 2002 attempt to smuggle a boatload of arms to the PA. Some reports also suggest that Iran’s interference in Iraq has included funding, safe transit, and arms to insurgent leaders like Muqtada al-Sadr and his forces.[/quote]

Iran Gives Weapons to Re-Arm Hezbollah, Pentagon Says

[quote]
April 20 (Bloomberg) – Iran has provided weapons and as much as $200 million a year to help the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah re-arm itself to levels beyond those in 2006, when the group waged a war with Israel, the Pentagon said.

Israel interdicted a merchant vessel in November with 36 containers, or 60 tons, of weapons for Hezbollah, including rockets and anti-tank shells, the Pentagon said. The Iranian and Syrian governments, the main backers of Hezbollah, denied any knowledge of the arms shipment.

Iran also is training Hezbollah fighters in camps in Lebanon and provides as much as $200 million a year in funding, according to the report. [/quote]

Over Saudi Arabian airspace. It’s not far-fetched either. Saudi Arabia may hate the Jews, but they are fear that Iran will get the bomb and will be the regional powerhouse. Remember that Saudi Arabia helped bankroll the Iraqis during the Iraq-Iran war. Iran sure hasn’t forgotten that. The Saudis view the Iranians Shias as heretical.

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The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again.

Whats unusual in this is Saudi Arabia siding with Israel.

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I hope so, but I’ve been Googling around on the story this morning and some are of the opinion that the Saudis really don’t want a nuclear-armed Iran. I don’t know what the truth is, but I’d like to watch this story as it develops.

At least the articles I posted aren’t as sensational as this one:

[quote]http://thesop.org/story/world/2010/06/25/israels-threatened-attack-on-iran-to-embroil-gulf-in-nuclear-war.php
The foremost danger facing our world, today, is that the increasingly vocal rhetoric from certain quarters that threatens a violent, unilateral attack upon Iran, could suddenly crystallize and within just a week or two, turn a regional conflict into the world`s first nuclear war.

Israel is, we are told, is ready and able to carry out a pre-emptive strike, (with or without American assistance), in which it will target suspected Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, the holy city of Qom, gas storage systems in Isfahan and a heavy-water reactor in Arak.
[/quote]
Really wtf graphic used on that story as well. :noway:

edit: Ibsig, that’s a lot of info! :discodance:

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[quote=“TainanCowboy”]The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again.

Whats unusual in this is Saudi Arabia siding with Israel.[/quote]

Yeah, I got that result just now too. How do I fix it?

And I suspect we’ll be hearing more about Saudi Arabia in the next few days if there is any kernal of truth to the story of people and weaponry being mored around the Gulf.

Ipsig, you are very knowledgeable and I appreciate your presence in this thread. Nothing to add to your post except to thank you for it.

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Also, last week, a US Navy fleet transited the Suez moving from the Med into the Red Sea. Egypt blocked out media coverage of the fleet as it made the canal crossing…BUT…it was reported that an Israeli frigate was included in the group.

Very very interesting… :beatnik:

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[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Also, last week, a US Navy fleet transited the Suez moving from the Med into the Red Sea. Egypt blocked out media coverage of the fleet as it made the canal crossing…BUT…it was reported that an Israeli frigate was included in the group.

Very very interesting… :beatnik:[/quote]

One Israeli and 11 American according to this
israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138164

But I read elsewhere that Iran is no longer sending the aid Flotilla

And then there is the spy satellite:
english.aljazeera.net/news/middl … 71297.html

[quote]Israel launches spy satellite

The Ofek 9 will join other Israeli spy satellites, such as this one launched in 2007 [EPA]
Israel has launched its latest military spy satellite, reportedly increasing its capacity to intelligence-gather on enemies such as Iran.

The Ofek 9 was blasted into orbit by an Israeli-made rocket on Tuesday, from the Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv, joining three other Israeli spy satellites in space.

The defence ministry said the satellite had achieved its proper orbit, describing it as “a surveillance satellite with advanced technological capabilities”.

Officials said it has a high-resolution camera and would join its other satellites to give Israel considerable coverage of sensitive areas, adding the camera could pick out missiles and launchers on the ground.
[/quote]

I want to know MORE!!!

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[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Also, last week, a US Navy fleet transited the Suez moving from the Med into the Red Sea. Egypt blocked out media coverage of the fleet as it made the canal crossing…BUT…it was reported that an Israeli frigate was included in the group.

Very very interesting… :beatnik:[/quote] Debkafiles, no doubt.

What’s interesting is that there’s been no coverage (that I’ve seen) of Juniper Stallion 2010 war exercises in the Persian Gulf in the U.S. media.

Diplomacy over Iran’s uranium enrichment program has officially been “exhausted.” Bushehr is scheduled to go hot this summer and my self-sufficient country refuge is going to be completed at the end of August.

Should be interesting indeed. Oil at hundreds of dollars a barrel. Iraq coming apart at the seams again, Afghanistan already in the process of doing so and yet a third war in the offing in the Middle East. Potential radioactive fallout . . . .

Not to mention that attacking a country that provides 10% of the world’s oil while major national economies are still mired in recession risks tipping the world into economic depression.

I’m ready. Hope you guys are.

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[quote=“politbureau”]

I’m ready. Hope you guys are.[/quote]

Ready how? Ready as in a serious canned goods supply? An underground bunker? Stacks of cash?

I am not ready. If all out anarchy and chaos breaks out I will be at the mercy of whatever will supply me with food and water. :cry:

edit: I skimmed over the “self-sufficient country refuge” part. Wow, you’re serious? You must be a very interesting person to have a beer with. :thumbsup:

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Politbureau, I had to google Bushehr…

DAMN, here’s some news from 17 hours ago

[quote]
english.farsnews.com/newstext.ph … 496Russian Official: Bushehr Power Plant to Start Operation in 2 Months
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Russian diplomat announced that Iran’s first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr will start operation within the next two months.[/quote]

Never heard about this in the Canadian news, but why would I?

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[quote=“Chuanzao El Ale Destroyer”][quote=“politbureau”]

I’m ready. Hope you guys are.[/quote]

Ready how? Ready as in a serious canned goods supply? An underground bunker? Stacks of cash?

I am not ready. If all out anarchy and chaos breaks out I will be at the mercy of whatever will supply me with food and water. :cry:

edit: I skimmed over the “self-sufficient country refuge” part. Wow, you’re serious? You must be a very interesting person to have a beer with. :thumbsup:[/quote]

I’m ready too! Got my place in the middle of nowhere, have all of my own utilities, have water, and the capability of providing my own food. My neighbors all have the same also.

If the shit gets too bad, you all are welcome at my place, providing you don’t mind helping out growing the veggies, and hunting.

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Can you PM me a map? Thanks.

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Something to consider before panic sets in. From my favourite grand strategist.

[quote=“Thomas Barnett”]Fascinating Stephen Kinzer piece in The American Prospect, by way of WPR’s Media Roundup.

The subtitle makes the statement boldly:

[color=#0040FF]Underlying argument: two countries in the region have a long history of struggling with democracy–Turkey and Iran. Both currently sport the Islamist veneer, but beneath lies a restive and vibrant civic culture.[/color]

Why explore? Because our Cold War stalwarts aren’t working out:

I like this piece very much. Very intelligent, unemotional, and strategic in vision.[/quote]
“Bringing democracy to the Middle East”: that’s the slogan, isn’t it?

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Of course ‘‘Sell weapons to both sides. Profit.’’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGNTCde1Vw4

that’s the spirit :sunglasses:

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Simply because Saudi Arabia is Sunnite while Iran is Shiah, they would rather have Israel as the only nuclear military power in the region than an nuclear military capable Iran. They don’t want over proliferation, if Iran got the nuke, then Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt would have no choice but to have it. That’s why most of the Sunnites will welcome an Israeli attack on Iran.

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Sure

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[quote]What should the U.S. do?
You may select 1 option

Side with Israel against Iran.
Side with Iran against Israel.
Remain neutral and do nothing.
Sell weapons to both sides. Profit. [/quote]

If there’d been a “Hell if I know” option in there, I could have voted.

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[quote=“Charlie Jack”][quote]What should the U.S. do?
You may select 1 option

Side with Israel against Iran.
Side with Iran against Israel.
Remain neutral and do nothing.
Sell weapons to both sides. Profit. [/quote]

If there’d been a “Hell if I know” option in there, I could have voted.[/quote]
It wouldn’t matter if there were more options because, as often is the case in a “poll”, you simply can’t vote at all because all options show up as an “invalid option - choose again”. Perhaps, intentional as I think there is no rational choice.