Liar Liar Yarmulke on Fire:
link AFP - Israel, whose prime minister withdrew Friday from next week's US-hosted nuclear summit, is viewed as the sixth country to have acquired nuclear weapons -- a title it has neither denied nor confirmed.
Analysts at British defence specialists Jane's believe the Jewish state has between 100 and 300 nuclear warheads, putting them among the more advanced nuclear weapons states and roughly on a par with Britain.
The London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates Israel has "up to 200" warheads delivered on land-based short-range Jericho 1 and medium-range Jericho 2 missiles.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US advocacy group co-created by Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, puts the figure at 100 to 200.
Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East with a programme dating back to the 1950s under Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion.
It was developed with the help of France and is centred on the Dimona reactor in the southern Negev desert.
According to Jane's, the Israeli strategic force could be deployed by the Jericho 2 missile, which has a range of up to 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles), or the five-year-old Jericho 3, which reaches up to 7,800 kilometres.
It is also believed to be able to deploy by air, using F-16 fighter jets, and even by sea through its submarine fleet, providing an opportunity for a second strike if its land systems are attacked.
Israel acquired three diesel-powered Dolphin-class submarines in 1999-2000 which are capable of launching adapted Harpoon cruise missiles fitted with nuclear warheads.
In addition, Jane's says some observers believe Jerusalem has developed tactical nuclear weapons such as landmines and artillery shells.
"Some analysts believe that Israel probably keeps most, if not all, of its nuclear arsenal in an unassembled mode," the latest Jane's briefing says, adding that "fully functional weapons could be completed in a matter of days".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly withdrew Friday from next week's nuclear summit in Washington, underscoring Israeli reluctance to expose its own nuclear programme to scrutiny.
chuckyman 39p · 776 weeks ago
“We (Israel) possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets ... most European capitals are targets of our air force ... the Palestinians should all be deported. Two years ago, only 7 or 8 per cent of Israelis were of the opinion that this would be the best solution, two months ago, (January 2010), it was 33 percent and now according to a Gallup poll, the figure is 44 percent".
It’s not just aircraft and missiles. The New York authorities after 9/11 quietly ran a check of the city for radiation hot spots and the only one found was in the embassy of the chosen ones.
The threat is implicit. Moshe Dayan believed that Israel should be like a rabid dog that is too dangerous to trouble. The time approaches when one of the world’s leaders will decide that this rabid dog is too dangerous to continue.
I4P 42p · 776 weeks ago
Israel having nukes scare me FAR more than Iran having them. Israel ahs a track record of attacking it's neighbours and is even today continuing to incite war on a daily basis, threatening everyone aruond it. Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey.
If I were an Arab country (or persian in the case of Iran) with a majority of the population were islamic, i'd be scared shitless of the Zionist rogue state, after all it has a history of attacking and hiding behind America, and it's armed to the teeth with nukes!!
The sooner Iran gets nukes the safer I say. Israel only recognises strength and an armed Iran means israel is not the only bigshot which makes them far more reasonable about pressing the button when someone else cuold press it back at them.
the REAL solution is to remove ALL nukes, including Israels hidden ones, you can't ask iran to give them up whilst ignoreing the hidden israeli ones,
chuckyman 39p · 776 weeks ago
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that they simply bought some. Everyone is aware that Russia has close ties to the Iran. They also don’t want to see another nuclear armed neighbour. China is the silent partner and oil is as vital to them now as it was to Imperial Japan in the ‘30s.
Neither outcome is positive for those beautiful but captive souls in Palestine