Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001
Israeli Minister Warns Pentagon of Iranian Nuclear Plants, Hints at Strike
Informed sources in Washington tell NewsMax that when Israeli Defense Minister Director General Amos Yaron visited the Pentagon during the last week of August, he raised Israeli concerns about Iran's growing capabilities to build nuclear weapons.
With the help of Russian scientists, Iran has made dramatic advances - and is believed to be far ahead of neighbors like Iraq in building new weapons of mass destruction.
That worries the Israelis.
The last time Israel was confronted with such a problem, it acted. In 1981, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered air strikes against Iraq's Osirak nuclear facilities.
One source reveals that an Israeli strike on Iran's facilities is all but certain and that Yaron has hinted strongly it may just happen.
Israel will likely tie any action against these facilities with a broader air attack on Iranian-backed missile units now operating in Lebanon.
In recent months, the Israeli government has been carefully linking Iran to anti-military activities in Lebanon in a carefully crafted PR strategy to demonstrate to the world that Iran is no innocent bystander, but a partner with key Arab countries, like Syria, bent on destroying Israel.
Take, for example, New York Post Uri Dan's column of Aug. 26, entitled "Iran Exporting Its Brand of Terror to the Border." Dan is considered a long-time member of Ariel Sharon's kitchen Cabinet.
Dan begins, "Iran has turned central and southern Lebanon into a powder keg with a devastating arsenal of 8,000 Katyusha rockets."
He adds that Iran has actually put members of its Revolutionary Guard in control of missile units that have a long range and can hit Tel Aviv.
Dan also alleges that Iran and Syria are coordinating military moves to "open a second front" against Israel if the Palestinian crisis blows.
When Israel strikes against these missiles, expected a broader sweep, which will include air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.
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