Aviv Kohavi, the outgoing head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), warned Friday that Israel has three operational plans drawn up to attack Iran.
In an interview on Friday, Kohavi said that Israel drew up these plans to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, although the Pentagon recently admitted that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.
According to Israel’s i24 News, the IDF chief of staff made the claim that Iran currently has enough enriched uranium to develop four nuclear bombs, but this is completely false. Iran has no uranium enriched at the 90% level needed for weapons grade, and any other enriched uranium can’t be used to make a bomb. Iran’s highest level of uranium enrichment is currently 60%.
Kohavi outlined the IDF’s plans for potential strikes on Iran, including attacks on its nuclear program, non-nuclear sites, and military sites. “These extend from a retaliatory strike on Iran that would be unrelated to the nuclear issue, to the taking out of the Iranian nuclear installations and auxiliary sites in that project, and if the situation eventually escalates into a full-fledged campaign then these plans also include the targeting of military sites and other assets,” he said.
Kohavi spent much of his time as the head of IDF working on “accelerating” plans to strike Iran, although it’s not clear if Israel could pull off airstrikes on the country without support from the US. In November, Kohavi traveled to Washington DC and received commitments from US officials to step up military cooperation with Israel.
Following Kohavi’s trip to Washington, the US and Israel simulated bombing Iran during drills over the Mediterranean Sea. Such cooperation is expected to continue as the new Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to ramp up Israel’s hawkish policies against Iran, and the US has no intention of reviving the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.
Kohavi is set to be replaced on Monday by Herzi Halevi, who is currently serving as the deputy chief of staff. Kohavi criticized the coalition agreement that formed the new government for handing powers to Israeli civilian authorities in the occupied West Bank that used to be under military control.
But, but Israel has a right to “defend” itself right? That right apparently means invading all of its neighbors and keeping the Palestinians living in an Apartheid state. Because that’s totally “defense.” Just like our “defense” budget.
“Invading all of its neighbors”Feh. Five Arab nations invaded Israel.Get your facts straight. Egypt and Jordan have made a measure of peace.Palestinians have been killing their Jewish neighbors for 120 years-so they are kept away-perfectly sane.
But, but Israel has a right to “defend” itself right? That right apparently means invading all of its neighbors and keeping the Palestinians living in an Apartheid state. Because that’s totally “defense.” Just like our “defense” budget.
Let me see if I’ve got this right… Israel can have nukes and that’s okay but Iran cannot have nukes because, they too are fundamentalists. What an interesting World we have created… Israel will get us into a war, if we’re not careful…. It’s a good way to start a war… A nuclear war. Israel wants to go out with a big bang and not a whimper…
If the Iranians have publicly gone to 60% U235 enrichment I wouldn’t put it past them to have secretly gone to 90%, and there’s nothing magic about that number anyway. I think the Israelis are waiting for nukes to get uncorked in Ukraine or Korea or elsewhere and then I think they’ll nuke the Iranian nuclear program and possibly the odd population center as well. If the Iranians want to stop it they need a credible deterrent, at least a handful of 20+ kt warheads with a mix of delivery systems.
I suspect the game changer will be an outside guarantor or provider, to put them into a safe zone more suddenly. Russia or China could extend an “umbrella” like the US does to so many, or Pakistan could simply sell them 20 or 30 bombs and delivery systems.
Then Iran could advance from that other side of the line to expand its domestic production.
This is the hole into which US aggression is driving the world.
Iran may have 70 year old issues with the US.Its desire to destroy Israel is totally unrelated and self generated.
Its desire is in your head. “Death to _____!” is a battle cry – not foreign policy.
If we want to see Iran withdraw its animosity toward Israel, it’s very easy: get to a viable fair two-state solution with adequate security for both sides, and you’ll see Iran drop the rhetoric, along with its weapons arrangements with Hezbollah.
“Death to ____” is method of preparing Iran’s people for the same sacrifice that lead Iran to clear minefields with little boys. They said Mein Kampf was also hot air,but it prepared Germans to do wickedness.Hitler meant just what he said;so does Iran. As far as a two state solution-I would love to see it.However, during Oslo time,Iran opposed negotiations,forcing Arafat to take an even more stiff necked position. Get your facts straight!
I don’t think Russia and China are as dumb as the US with the nuclear umbrella thing, but you never know. I don’t see Pakistan going retail with their nukes either, but again who knows. And Iran doesn’t actually need a functioning nuclear arsenal so much as a credible nuclear deterrent, which isn’t exactly the same thing. But yeah, the US is determined to play games until it all goes mushroom cloud. That I’m sure of.
In other words,Israel is justified in a first strike to present its destruction.
Or Iran is justified in a first strike to prevent its destruction. Funny how being antisemitic is abhorrent but being anti Iranian, Palestinian, Afghani, Iraqi, Russian, etc., is normal. Never have figured that out.
Judaism is a religion.Its practitioners.like any other group of persons,will behave in various ways. No one should be despised because of their faith. As far as the countries you mention-the ruling cliques and sometimes their populace should be viewed according to their actions-not their ethnicity.The reality is that Iran intends to slowly or quickly destroy Israel. The Palestinians were the victims of European and Islamic antisemitism.
The reality is that Iran is a country whose politicians, like any other group of persons, will behave in various ways, there’s probably one hiding under your bed right now. And the Palestinians “were” victims? When did that stop? And they’re victims of “Islamic antisemitism”? Did your preacher tell you that?
There are many Iranian dissidents in
hiding right now-for very good reasons. When the Islamic world expelled their own Jews-they fled to Israel,and they remember how they were treated.Those from Iran are under no delusions.Can’t say the same for the most of those who criticize.
When the Israelis expelled the Palestinians they fled to Jordon, Lebanon, Egypt, and around the world, and they remember how they were treated. They are under no delusions. And frankly it’s difficult to decode most of what you’re saying, maybe just cut and paste from your preacher. I gather you’re saying Iran is harsh on dissidents (people who criticize the government). Ever hear of Jamal Khashoggi? How about Julian Assange?
“My preacher” exists only in your mind. Israel accepted its Jewish refugees, and still has many Arabs as full citizens.The Arab countries deny Palestinians citizenship,in order to deny them benefits and maintain a causus belli. Iran murders dissidents,Assange is alive, and his issues are with the US are not relevent to this discussion. Mistreatment of dissidents by Saudi Arabia has no relevance to the Arab-Israeli struggle,except to show how some Arab governments behave.
I’ve been in Israel and Palestine and if you think Palestinians are full Israelis you need to get a preacher who knows about such things and ask him about this. But anyway, your point that Iran is uniquely evil is demonstrably wrong. You’re a Zionist mouthpiece.
In other words, since I have bested your arguments,you become irate..By the way,who is your preacher-Luther?What makes you think the entire world has a preacher? Does it not occur to you that people follow Priests,Rabbis,Imams, Shamans ect? Or that people follow their own judgements and thoughts?
Oh jake … your opinion was handed to you by a collection of religious authority figures. I, on the other hand, am a free range nonpracticing Zen Buddhist. And you’re the one interpreting “Zionist mouthpiece” as derisive.
The term “mouthpiece “implies that the other person is incapable of free thought, or is paid It is derisive-you can’t handle dissent, and presume that only you have the answers. Buddhism speaks of looking within-I suggest you start doing that that now.By the way, Tibetan Buddhism is full of images of people being skinned alive-HA HA.
I studied Buddhism in Tibet and I don’t recall any images of anybody being skinned alive, though admittedly the temples do have a darkish ambiance. Maybe you’re thinking of Kali, who’s a Hindu goddess. Hinduism is different from Buddhism. And honestly, Jake, I wouldn’t deride you if I didn’t enjoy it and you didn’t deserve it.
So now you are the weigher of souls.Anyone who disagrees with you is wrong.Buddhism speaks of abandonment of the ego,which is something you should work on.
Google away, fundi.
What is magic about that number is you can build a bomb. If you don’t have any it takes time to get it. If you do have it then you can slap together a bomb pretty quickly. 10 tons of 20% enriched material is way way less interesting than 10 kilos of 90% enriched material.
My point was that 90% is something of a scare number. A nuclear weapon doesn’t suddenly become possible at 90%, it’s just that you have to give management round numbers. It’s in fact possible to create a divergent neutron chain reaction with natural uranium. I expect with the right engineering you could get a decent mushroom cloud with 60%, though maybe not an especially deliverable warhead.
The CANDU reactor runs on unenriched uranium but takes a lot of bother to make it work. I can’t imagine if I were designing my countries only nuke that I probably couldn’t test that i would “innovate” with regards to enrichment.
I can’t imagine you designing your country’s only nuke either. How long have you been speaking English?
In other words,you support nuclear proliferation-a true pacifist.
Well, I must say, the US has way more than three plans to attack even canada … I mean, that’s what militaries do in peacetime, make plans for any eventuality.
So, not worried about the existence of plans. What does worry me is that some very dangerous characters are riding the bus with nettyyahoo this time … if he becomes sidelined, then all bets may be off.
nettyyahoo is the danger.
Israel lashing out against it’s neighbors like an adolescent boy. What a worthless colonialist sewer it is.
2000 years of “love”,justify Israel’s determination to survive at any cost. It is the pubescent mind that does not understand the power of hate and human depravity.
Zionism has destroyed any Israeli credibility in the free world. The sheer audacity of Netanyahu..a war criminal and mass murderer being elected again shows the depravity of what Israel has become.Iran has nothing to worry about…
What the fork are you talking about with “mass murders” Let examine how many Palestinians have been killed by other Arabs.Lurid fantasies. Every country on earth is flawed,but Iran’s far exceed Israel’s flaws-woman beaten to death because a lock of hair escaped her kerchief.Sending little boys to clear minefields,assasinating dissidents.creating terror armies ,starving its own people,marching around mockups of Jerusalem,screwing up Oslo.
Why not five plans, or ten, or fifty? What utter horse manure.
One must hope if these morbidly delusional individuals ruining the Israeli populace and the country itself attack Iran that Iran does not hold back at all.
Cobalt 60 will send them back to trilobite time.
Israel’s Outgoing Army Chief Says Israel Has Three Plans to Destroy Israel