What Will An Israeli Attack on Iran Look Like?
As the rampant speculations that Israel will soon launch a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities continue, a report on NBC on Friday revealed what such an attack may look like.
The report, the main points of which were presented by Israel’s Channel 10 News, is based on conversations the American network held with current and former officials in Israel and the United States. The report suggests that an attack on Iran will combine air and ground faces but will not include naval forces.
The officials interviewed said that the attack will be led by the Israeli artillery, which will use Jericho 2 missiles that have a range of 2,500 kilometers. The report also says the artillery will be assisted by F-15i aircraft and Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The officials also told NBC that the operation will include ground units, but that they will not be involved in the actual attacks, focusing instead on marking targets or collecting intelligence.
The report added that the officials interviewed said that they believe the chances for an Israeli military operation in Iran are higher than 50 percent. They said, however, that they believe such an attack will not succeed in destroying all the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic and that the attack’s purpose would be simply to delay the Iranian nuclear program by damaging its most sensitive facilities. In such a case, one official said, Israel is prepared to repeat the attack in a few years.
Another important note made by the NBC report is that all the officials interviewed agreed with recent reports that Israel will not notify the White House a long time in advance of the attack. In fact, they said, the Obama Administration will likely be updated on the attack shortly before the aircraft take off. In any case the United States will likely not take an active part in the bombing, the officials said.
Earlier Friday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel and said the Islamic Republic will help any nation or group that confronts the Jewish State.
In remarks to worshippers during Friday prayers in Tehran which were broadcast on state TV, Khamenei also said Iran would continue its nuclear program and warned that any military strike by the U.S. would only make Iran stronger.