I hate nuclear weapons....
[source:Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12]
Two unnamed Bush Administration officials have disclosed,
and an Israeli official confirmed, to the Los Angeles Times
that Israel has modified U.S.-supplied cruise missiles
and installed them on the three German-built submarines in its navy.
Not only does the new capability strengthen Israel militarily
(or, as the Times puts it "bolsters Israel's deterrence")
but it also complicates efforts to persuade Iran
to abandon its suspected nuclear program.
Unlike Iran, however, Israel is not a signatory
of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"The presence of a nuclear program in the region
that is not under international safeguards
gives other countries the spur to develop weapons of mass destruction,"
said Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's ambassador to the U.S.
"Any future conflict becomes more dangerous."
One of the officials who spoke to the Times admitted
that this is a factor in the dispute over Iran's program.
"A big source of contention is Israel," he said.
"This is a magnet for other countries
to develop nuclear weapons."
Joseph Cirincione,
the director of the non-proliferation program at the Canregie
Endowment for International Peace told the Times,
"You are never going to be able
to address the Iranian nuclear ambitions
or the issues of Egypt's chemical weapons
and possible biological weapons program
without bringing Israel's nuclear program into the mix."
Israeli officials interviewed by the Times did not provide
any details beyond confirming the new nuclear capability,
but U.S. officials believe
the Israelis modified Harpoon missiles to carry the warheads.
The Harpoon normally carries a 488 lb high-explosive warhead,
so the Israelis would have had to reduce the size of the nuclear device to make it fit,
a task well within their engineering capabilities.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iznukes12oct12.story
[source:Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12]
Two unnamed Bush Administration officials have disclosed,
and an Israeli official confirmed, to the Los Angeles Times
that Israel has modified U.S.-supplied cruise missiles
and installed them on the three German-built submarines in its navy.
Not only does the new capability strengthen Israel militarily
(or, as the Times puts it "bolsters Israel's deterrence")
but it also complicates efforts to persuade Iran
to abandon its suspected nuclear program.
Unlike Iran, however, Israel is not a signatory
of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"The presence of a nuclear program in the region
that is not under international safeguards
gives other countries the spur to develop weapons of mass destruction,"
said Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's ambassador to the U.S.
"Any future conflict becomes more dangerous."
One of the officials who spoke to the Times admitted
that this is a factor in the dispute over Iran's program.
"A big source of contention is Israel," he said.
"This is a magnet for other countries
to develop nuclear weapons."
Joseph Cirincione,
the director of the non-proliferation program at the Canregie
Endowment for International Peace told the Times,
"You are never going to be able
to address the Iranian nuclear ambitions
or the issues of Egypt's chemical weapons
and possible biological weapons program
without bringing Israel's nuclear program into the mix."
Israeli officials interviewed by the Times did not provide
any details beyond confirming the new nuclear capability,
but U.S. officials believe
the Israelis modified Harpoon missiles to carry the warheads.
The Harpoon normally carries a 488 lb high-explosive warhead,
so the Israelis would have had to reduce the size of the nuclear device to make it fit,
a task well within their engineering capabilities.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iznukes12oct12.story
