Fears of the Mideast erupting into a “fireball” of war rose sharply yesterday after US officials confirmed that Israel had sent waves of warplanes on a practice run for a massive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Israeli show of strength, conducted earlier this month over Greece and the eastern Mediterranean, was impossible for Iran to miss and demonstrated the country’s ability to carry out a long-range bombing attack, officials said.
More than 100 Israeli F-16s and F-15s were deployed in the maneuver, flying roughly the distance from Israel to a key Iranian target. The exercise included refueling tankers and helicopters capable of rescuing downed pilots.
The report briefly sent oil prices soaring another $4 a barrel and drew a chilling threat of retaliation from Iran.
“If enemies, especially Israelis and their supporters in the United States, would want to use a language of force, they would rest assured that they will receive a strong blow in the mouth,” Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said in a sermon broadcast live on state radio.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency said an Israeli attack would ignite a Mideast war.
“It would turn the region into a fireball,” Mohamed ElBaradei told Al Arabiya television.
Israel has repeatedly shown the will to stop its Arab neighbors from developing atomic bombs. In 1981, F-16s destroyed Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor near Baghdad, and last year Israel bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear site.
Yesterday, officials in Jerusalem refused to comment except to say the Israeli air force “regularly trains for various missions in order to confront and meet the challenges posed by the threats facing Israel.”
But two weeks ago, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said an attack on Iran’s long-secret atomic facilities was all but inevitable.
“If Iran continues its nuclear weapons program, we will attack it,” he said.
Israel has repeatedly rejected Iranian claims that it is seeking only nuclear power and also rejected last year’s US intelligence report that concluded Iran has suspended its weapons program.
An Israeli attack on suspected bomb factories would be much more difficult than the 1981 raid on Iraq.
The Iranian sites are scattered over hundreds of miles, at least one is buried deep underground, and they are located nearly 1,000 miles away. The 1981 target was a single reactor, about 650 miles away, and the Israeli jets didn’t have to refuel in flight.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was asked whether his country was capable of a massive attack on Iran. He told the German magazine Der Spiegel, “Israel always has to be in a position to defend itself against any adversary and against any threat of any kind.”
US officials indicated Israel’s air exercise two weeks ago would have been easy for Iran’s military and intelligence to spot because it was so large.
“It was noticed that a significant exercise took place – dozens and dozens of aircraft participated,” one official said yesterday.
“They have been conducting some large-scale exercises. They live in a tough neighborhood.”
There was no immediate response from Turkey, Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Their air space was used by Israel during the 1981 raid and would be the fastest route for an attack on Iran.
The Bush administration, which would have to approve an Israeli air force passage over Iraq, refused comment on whether it favors an attack.
“We are seeking a peaceful, diplomatic resolution” to the threat the West sees from Iran’s nuclear program, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
“We have made that clear to the Israeli government; we have made that clear to the Iranian government; we have made that clear to anybody who will listen and who asked about it.”
Israeli military analyst Martin Van Creveld of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University said preparations for a possible attack were indeed under way.
“Israel has been talking about this possibility for a long time, that it would not take an Iranian nuclear weapon lying down. And it has been practicing the operation or operations for a long time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, in another attempt to woo Jewish voters, said that Israel had a right to prepare for its defense.
“[T]here is no doubt that Iran poses an extraordinary threat to Israel and Israel is always justified in making decisions that will provide for its security,” Obama said at a news conference in Jacksonville, Florida.
With Post Wire Services