Thursday, August 31, 2006
Interesting news from Israel: (from Haaretz)
I still can't believe this Iran campaign is for real, but it really seems like it lately. What's on the table -- because, lord knows, there aren't enough troops for anything else -- has got to be either an American or Israeli air campaign with maybe some special forces guys on the ground ala Hersh's "The Coming Wars" ... but if such were to occur wouldn't predominantly Shi'ite Iraq just go crazy? -- the puppet government falls, mass abductions of Americans, etc.? I guess on the plus side bombing Iran is probably the quickest way of ending Iraq's civil war: imagine the pan-Arab solidarity fostered by Israel's attack on Hezbollah cranked up an order of magnitude.
In an effort to upgrade Israel's preparedness for a possible confrontation with Iran, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has appointed Israel Air Force Commander Major General Elyezer Shkedy as the IDF's "campaign manager" against countries that do not border on Israel - primarily Iran.
The appointment was made before the war in Lebanon.
As part of his new responsibilities, Shkedy will act as "GOC Iran Command": He will oversee battle plans and manage the forces if war breaks out. According to a security source, Shkedy will be the "orchestra conductor," but will coordinate with the Mossad and Military Intelligence, and with the IDF's various operational branches.
The security source noted that during the 1991 Gulf War, the IDF did not have a "campaign manager" for Iraq. Instead, the IAF, the intelligence agencies and the ground forces each operated within their own areas of responsibility and authority.
I still can't believe this Iran campaign is for real, but it really seems like it lately. What's on the table -- because, lord knows, there aren't enough troops for anything else -- has got to be either an American or Israeli air campaign with maybe some special forces guys on the ground ala Hersh's "The Coming Wars" ... but if such were to occur wouldn't predominantly Shi'ite Iraq just go crazy? -- the puppet government falls, mass abductions of Americans, etc.? I guess on the plus side bombing Iran is probably the quickest way of ending Iraq's civil war: imagine the pan-Arab solidarity fostered by Israel's attack on Hezbollah cranked up an order of magnitude.
