From The Times
June 12, 2010
Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites
Hugh Tomlinson


Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.

To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.

“The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.”

Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.

The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.

The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel; the outer limits of their bombers’ range, even with aerial refuelling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.

Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit agreement to the raid from Washington. So far, the Obama Administration has refused to give its approval as it pursues a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Military analysts say Israel has held back only because of this failure to secure consensus from America and Arab states. Military analysts doubt that an airstrike alone would be sufficient to knock out the key nuclear facilities, which are heavily fortified and deep underground or within mountains. However, if the latest sanctions prove ineffective the pressure from the Israelis on Washington to approve military action will intensify. Iran vowed to continue enriching uranium after the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet in an effort to halt the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, which Tehran claims is intended for civil energy purposes only. President Ahmadinejad has described the UN resolution as “a used handkerchief, which should be thrown in the dustbin”.

Israeli officials refused to comment yesterday on details for a raid on Iran, which the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has refused to rule out. Questioned on the option of a Saudi flight path for Israeli bombers, Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said: “I know that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity.”

In 2007 Israel was reported to have used Turkish air space to attack a suspected nuclear reactor being built by Iran’s main regional ally, Syria. Although Turkey publicly protested against the “violation” of its air space, it is thought to have turned a blind eye in what many saw as a dry run for a strike on Iran’s far more substantial — and better-defended — nuclear sites.

Israeli intelligence experts say that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at least as worried as themselves and the West about an Iranian nuclear arsenal.Israel has sent missile-class warships and at least one submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead through the Suez Canal for deployment in the Red Sea within the past year, as both a warning to Iran and in anticipation of a possible strike. Israeli newspapers reported last year that high-ranking officials, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have met their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the Iranian issue. It was also reported that Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, met Saudi intelligence officials last year to gain assurances that Riyadh would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets violating Saudi airspace during the bombing run. Both governments have denied the reports.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7148555.ece

Israel dey make me laugh. i wonder what Israel would do when thousands of missile from iran will start falling in the heart of Israel. they should thread very carefully concerning iran, they (israel) should not start a war that will eventually engulf the entire middle east region.

Hmmmn Israel why are you so nervous?
But you too have nuclear shit bah and you want other to not develop have u ever heard of 'charity begins at home'?
Well,Iran would stay like a statue when they are being attacked they will defend themselves capably
These israelis na wa oh see what they did recently attacking the floitia that was taking aid to Gaza in the first place they destroyed gaza that made them to look for aid,
Iran is no Gaza they will fight Back,But what if Iran is telling the truth?
Remember what the evil US did to iraq?where are the weapon of mass destruction?
I hope the status quo remains no war

Media propaganda.

Dear Isreal, enough of the diplomatesse! Wipe Iran off the map once and for all jaré! That will instill necessary fear into the palestinians, subjugate them into obedience and restore lasting peace to the troubled region. Tired of these obnoxious terrorist/jihadist/anything 'ist' maggots flexing muscles all over the place.

It is a wonder that none of you islamist has critisize your holy land of using it,s air space to bomb one of your own, it is a wonder!

@op cant we get some Vatican news for a change? is it only middle eastern news that we can expect from you?

To say that Israel fears Iran is nothing but a smoke screen, Israel has more than enough weapons to wipe Iran of the map many times over.

It's ironic that SA is more worried about getting nuked by their "muslim brothers" in Iran than by Israel.


This is the right time to go long on oil!---my bad, the right time was five months ago!

violent:

To say that Israel fears Iran is nothing but a smoke screen, Israel has more than enough weapons to wipe Iran of the map many times over.

It's ironic that SA is more worried about getting nuked by their "muslim brothers" in Iran than by Israel.


This is the right time to go long on oil!---my bad, the right time was five months ago!

You make a point here!


For some reason, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar etc etc would rather have Israel as a neighbour than Iran.

The hatred between the Saudis especially and Iranian governments ( not peoples ) is deep and dangerous.

I will not be surprised if the Saudis turn a blind eye, though in this instance it is likely to be propaganda, simply because no nation reveals its true battle plans to the media.

This is more or less a decoy from the real objective.

mistakay:

@op cant we get some Vatican news for a change? is it only middle eastern news that we can expect from you?

No News is good news. lol.