Western officials familiar with the situation say that previous estimates on Iran’s Fordow enrichment site, underground near the major city of Qom, is a little more “underground” than anyone had anticipated, and that GBU-28 bunker-busters can’t destroy it.
Former Israeli Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, the only official quoted in the report, says that the site is totally immune from conventional attack and that “the only way to finish off Iran’s nuclear program is by using the nuclear option.”
Not that Halutz was endorsing nuking a site on the outskirts of a city of 1.5 million people. Rather, he expressed hope that Netanyahu was “not mad enough to think about it.” So far there has been no indication from sitting Israeli officials on that.
The revelation is going to make Israel’s push to war a lot harder, especially with the admission that Iran’s civilian enrichment program’s uranium has indeed been going to civilian purposes, and not military ones.
The actual, almost as frightening, alternative to bunker-busters bombs would be not nukes but an invasion of Iran and siege of Fordow by ground troops.
Oddly enough, we Have never heard from military authorities in Iran how they would react in the event of an Israeli nuclear strike on their nuclear facilities.
Can it be that they don’t take the threat seriously because Iran has already acquired a few ready to deploy nuclear weapons from a third party – a former soviet republics or Pakistan – and that Iran would respond in kind if Israel ever uses its nuclear option against them. Iran’s “Samson Option”. Moreover, we already know that Iran did buy a handful of cruise missiles from Ukraine nearly a decade ago. These missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads all the way from Iran to Israel.
One thing is very clear: Iranian leaders don’t seem at all worried about a nuclear scenario emanating from the Jewish state. We should think very seriously about why that is the case before things really get of hand.
Oddly enough, we Have never heard from military authorities in Iran how they would react in the event of an Israeli nuclear strike on their nuclear facilities.
Can it be that they don’t take the threat seriously because Iran has already acquired a few ready to deploy nuclear weapons from a third party – a former soviet republics or Pakistan – and that Iran would respond in kind if Israel ever uses its nuclear option against it. Iran’s “Samson Option”.
Moreover, we already know that Iran did buy a handful of cruise missiles from Ukraine nearly a decade ago. These missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads all the way from Iran to Israel.
One thing is very clear: Iranian leaders don’t seem at all worried about a nuclear scenario emanating from the Jewish state. We should think very seriously about why that is the case before things really get of hand.
It may be pure hubris and complacency on Iran's part. No one has used nukes in anger since WW II. People wrongly assume that no one ever will. I know one thing. If you are going to nuke a country preemptively, you get only one chance to do it right. There are no second chances in this business. If Israel nukes Iran, it won't be a limited strike on a few facilities. It will be one of 2 scenarios. A surprise attack, with 50-150 warheads hitting Iran simultaneously. OR a covert op to detonate a nuke inside an Iranian tunnel, followed by an Israeli claim that Iran did a nuclear test, and then a launch of 50-150 warheads on Iran. And all Iranian submarines will probably be covertly sunk hours before any launch.
There also maybe some unicorns that will aid in the attack . Come on guys !!! The cost of using a nuke is so high ….. The country that uses that option will suffer the greatest harm in the long term Think about the political cost alone …. never mind the reaction of other countries ( Russia wouldn't be too pleased having a nuke exploded near its boarders )
Make no mistake about it..If Israel is ever insane enough to use a nuke it will cease to exist 24 hours from any launch. Israel is a "one bomb" country. Furthermore is is loathed by most of the world including Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. Iran on the otherhand most likely has nukes hidden away in a bunker for a rainy day. People in the West must understand that Iran, nor any other power is going to fully reveal what they have. It would be foolish, and also a deathwish.
The fallout from a direct ground strike will be extremely dirty. Guess which country is downwind of Iran. Guess which country has troops in the country? Yup, Israel will end up irradiating US troops, along with Iranian and Afghan civilians.
Yup …. and I wonder what those neighboring countries would think / do .
I agree. The surest way to start WWIII is for Israel to do just that: Use nuclear weapons in its illegal war of aggression against Iran. For sure, Russia wouldn't tolerate it; since, after all, the resultant radioactive fallout would cross over into its own territory.
Back in 1986, there was a tragic nuclear accident in Chernobyl, the consequences of which are still being felt today. The areas around the plant will continue to be uninhabitable for decades, if not centuries, since the soil is still highly radioactive.
And, in March of last year, following a major earthquake and tsunami, the same tragedy occurred with a series of explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This, too, was an accident; but, the consequences are quite similar: radiation spreading to other parts of the world.