Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran
Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv, and Sarah Baxter, Washington
The Sunday TimesDecember 11, 2005
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1920074,00.html

ISRAEL'S armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister,
to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium
enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed.

The order came after Israeli intelligence warned the government that Iran
was operating enrichment facilities, believed to be small and concealed in
civilian locations.

Iran's stand-off with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over
nuclear inspections and aggressive rhetoric from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the
Iranian president, who said last week that Israel should be moved to Europe,
are causing mounting concern.

The crisis is set to come to a head in early March, when Mohamed El-Baradei,
the head of the IAEA, will present his next report on Iran. El-Baradei, who
received the Nobel peace prize yesterday, warned that the world was "losing
patience" with Iran.

A senior White House source said the threat of a nuclear Iran was moving to
the top of the international agenda and the issue now was: "What next?" That
question would have to be answered in the next few months, he said.

Defence sources in Israel believe the end of March to be the "point of no
return" after which Iran will have the technical expertise to enrich uranium
in sufficient quantities to build a nuclear warhead in two to four years.

"Israel - and not only Israel - cannot accept a nuclear Iran," Sharon warned
recently. "We have the ability to deal with this and we're making all the
necessary preparations to be ready for such a situation."

The order to prepare for a possible attack went through the Israeli defence
ministry to the chief of staff. Sources inside special forces command
confirmed that "G" readiness - the highest stage - for an operation was
announced last week.

Gholamreza Aghazadeah, head of the Atomic Organisation of Iran, warned
yesterday that his country would produce nuclear fuel. "There is no doubt
that we have to carry out uranium enrichment," he said.

He promised it would not be done during forthcoming talks with European
negotiators. But although Iran insists it wants only nuclear energy, Israeli
intelligence has concluded it is deceiving the world and has no intention of
giving up what it believes is its right to develop nuclear weapons.

A "massive" Israeli intelligence operation has been underway since Iran was
designated the "top priority for 2005", according to security sources.

Cross-border operations and signal intelligence from a base established by
the Israelis in northern Iraq are said to have identified a number of
Iranian uranium enrichment sites unknown to the the IAEA.

Since Israel destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981, "it has
been understood that the lesson is, don't have one site, have 50 sites", a
White House source said.

If a military operation is approved, Israel will use air and ground forces
against several nuclear targets in the hope of stalling Tehran's nuclear
programme for years, according to Israeli military sources.

It is believed Israel would call on its top special forces brigade, Unit
262 - the equivalent of the SAS - and the F-15I strategic 69 Squadron, which
can strike Iran and return to Israel without refuelling.

"If we opt for the military strike," said a source, "it must be not less
than 100% successful. It will resemble the destruction of the Egyptian air
force in three hours in June 1967."

Aharon Zeevi Farkash, the Israeli military intelligence chief, stepped up
the pressure on Iran this month when he warned Israel's parliament, the
Knesset, that "if by the end of March the international community is unable
to refer the Iranian issue to the United Nations security council, then we
can say the international effort has run its course".

The March deadline set for military readiness also stems from fears that
Iran is improving its own intelligence-gathering capability. In October it
launched its first satellite, the Sinah-1, which was carried by a Russian
space launcher.

"The Iranians' space programme is a matter of deep concern to us," said an
Israeli defence source. "If and when we launch an attack on several Iranian
targets, the last thing we need is Iranian early warning received by
satellite."

Russia last week signed an estimated $1 billion contract - its largest since
2000 - to sell Iran advanced Tor-M1 systems capable of destroying guided
missiles and laser-guided bombs from aircraft.

"Once the Iranians get the Tor-M1, it will make our life much more
difficult," said an Israeli air force source. "The installation of this
system can be relatively quick and we can't waste time on this one."

The date set for possible Israeli strikes on Iran also coincides with Israel's
general election on March 28, prompting speculation that Sharon may be
sabre-rattling for votes.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the frontrunner to lead Likud into the elections, said
that if Sharon did not act against Iran, "then when I form the new Israeli
government, we'll do what we did in the past against Saddam's reactor, which
gave us 20 years of tranquillity".

TEHRAN MINISTER MET MILITANTS BEFORE NEW OFFENSIVE

Iran's foreign minister met leading figures from three Islamic militant
groups to co-ordinate a united front against Israel days before a recent
escalation of attacks against Israeli targets shattered fragile ceasefires
with Lebanon and the Palestinians, writes Hugh Macleod in Damascus.

The minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, held talks with leaders of Hamas, Islamic
Jihad and Hezbollah in Damascus on November 15.

Among those who attended the meeting were Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader,
and a deputy leader of Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for last
Monday's suicide bombing of a shopping mall in Netanya that killed five
Israeli citizens.

Ahmed Jibril, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-
General Command, was also present. "We all confirmed that what is going on
in occupied Palestine is organically connected to what is going on in Iraq,
Syria, Iran and Lebanon," said Jibril.

Seven days after the talks, Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets and mortars
at Israeli targets, sparking the fiercest fighting between the two sides
since Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon five years ago.