Israeli officials have often tried to browbeat the US into launching the war with Iran by forwarding the notion that Iran would hit US targets immediately thereafter anyhow if Israel started it. Israel’s own internal assessments suggest that may not be the case.
Rather, Israeli defense officials are predicting that Iran would retaliate against an Israeli attack exclusively by targeting Israel, and would seek to avoid bringing the US or anyone else into the war if at all possible. Outgoing Israeli Minister Matan Vilnai is predicting a 30 day war with as many as 500 Israeli deaths far afield of Silvan Shalom’s comments earlier this week, which claimed Iran might not retaliate at all
This makes sense to anyone following Iran’s defense strategy, which has focused almost entirely on developing missiles with a range to hit Israel. Despite US efforts to spin Iran’s missiles as a threat to Europe, virtually their whole arsenal is incapable of reaching the majority of Europe, and stops at just being able to hit Israel.
The US policy of regional escalation has certainly made it an easy-to-hit target for Iran, however, with big slow-moving ships parked within speedboat distance of the Iranian coast for ease of attack. Those warships may be virtual hostages in the case of a war, but only if the US is the one that fires first.
Now is the best time for Oil companies to increase the gasoline prices in US and EU… Look: you already enjoyed your share in having a lower price of Gasoline for two weeks and a half, your time is up. Don’t listen to Joe Biden when he says: "Mitt Romney social economic going to slave you all”. You are already slaved by the system, by the government not doing anything about speculation in stock exchange market and oil prices, that means that you are going to more in chain by the day from now on to……….. WTF these people are talking about, Iran has no intention to start any war with anyone, it is Israel and US which are at wars all the time wanting to start another one when its fits their social economic or their hegemony.
> as many as 500 Israeli deaths
Eminently afforable. At this kind of menace level, Iran had better tool up in a serious way.
Imagine the shock and horror within the Israeli government when, instead of 500+/- as predicted, the number is closer to 5000+/- (or more). Is that an ooops? Sorry about that, Chief.
Does that prediction fall into the same category as the "The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that." Vice President Cheney, Meet the Press, March 16 2003.
LOL! Did they up that from 300?
Just wanted to offer my congrats to you for having merged the North African section on site with the Palestine / Israel one. Very subtle, good work guys.
A local radio station just had this as part of their "news"
"Charlotte area gas prices began their current climb on July 5th when they averaged around $3.18 in North Carolina..and under 3-bucks in South Carolina.
But a number of factors have been pushing prices higher since then..including oil speculation, hurricane anxiety and fears that Iran will cause trouble with oil shipments in the gulf."
Sure, those nasty Eye-rainians are making threats…
Yeah… it'll be a cakewalk. 'Couse, that $10 a gallon gas will hurt. And promises that the U.S. won't be involved are just more butter tabs on the road to hell. Look… the Israelis aren't stupid. What? They're going to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities? Then bomb them again in a few years? Then again and again… on into eternity? For time immemorial, I suppose. No. They know the only way Iran will be denatured to vassal-state pussycat is if the U.S. sends in ground troops, occupies the country, and physically destroys it as we did Iraq. Israel wants Islam turned into a Stone Age pasture that never will threaten again. And, of course, we always do what Israel wants. Here the Daily Beast's Benny Morris sums up our media's position:
"There is only one thing that can prevent an Israeli assault on Iran’s nuclear installations before the US presidential elections—and that, short of an attack by America itself, which is seen as extremely unlikely, is an iron-clad guarantee by President Obama that he will destroy the Iranian installations soon after his prospective re-election if the Iranian do not desist under the impact of the ongoing economic sanctions
"Of course, no guarantee is iron-clad; promises can be and often are broken. Still, were Obama to promise Israel, publicly or in writing, that, should he be re-elected, he will unleash the American Air Force and Navy say by March 1, 2013 to destroy the installations and would continue the military campaign, whatever and for as long as it takes, until Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program, then it is likely that Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak would call off the prospective Israeli assault."
You heard him… whatever it takes. Just bomb them until they roll belly-up. That'll show 'em. Then, in a few years, bomb them again. Then again and again… on into eternity. For time immemorial, you stupid goy monkeys.
Is that the latest Hasbara talking point?
The funny thing is even if Iran were to only respond by attacking Israel in return do you really think the AIPAC controlled politicans wouldnt drag the US into the war (for there masters).