Israeli / Arab hate show - The Military Route

Israeli IDF OC Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin (pic) gave a briefing to the Israel cabinet on Saturday. The Jerusalem Post says he reported that Iran, Syria and Hizbullah are preparing their defenses for a war in the summer, and that they are more worried about an attack by the US than from Israel. Iranian Fars news agency quoted the Iranian chief of staff, Hassan Fayrouz Abadi,on Saturday warning Arab leaders that Israel plans to open a "suicidal attack" on its neighbors this summer, to "prevent the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq and the area."

He said the IDF has noticed, however, "an increase in the potential for instability" in the Middle East due to a number of processes, including the American "failure" in Iraq. (Ouch!)

The IDF believes, however, that the "greatest danger" to northern Israel currently comes from Syria, which has raised its level of alert, although forces on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights have not been beefed up. Despite the increase in the threat, the army does not have intelligence indicating that Syria plans to attack Israel, he said.

The JP also repeats the reports of the alleged Russian intelligence under the headline "US ready to strike Iran on Good Friday'. Russian news agency RIA Novosti has been wisely quoted this week that the US Armed Forces stationed in the Persian Gulf will be ready to launch a missile attack on Iran's nuclear facilities as soon as early this month, perhaps "from 4 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 6,(Good Friday for Christians) " .

According to Russian intelligence sources, the reports said, the US has devised a plan to attack several targets in Iran, and an assault could be carried out by launching missiles from fighter jets and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf.

Yadlin was previously military attache in Washington and as an airman was involved in the air force attack on the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor in Operation Opera June 7th 1981 (which including overflying Saudi territory) - which of course the Iranians had been unable to kncok out on September 30th 1980 even though they had the aid and support of the IDF. The US finished it off in the Gulf War.

This was a military coup that helped sweep Begin's Likud to victory - in the way that the Falklands War sustained Margaret Thatcher's position.

One interesting footnote is that General David Ivry was in charge of the IDF Air Force at the time of the Osirak raid and when Ambassador in Washington received from Dick Cheney a framed satelite surveillance photograph after the raid from VP Dick Cheney with a suitable inscription...."with thanks and appreciation for the outstanding job he did on the Iraqi Nuclear Program in 1981..."

Is history to repeat itself ?