Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

PRESSTV
March 14, 2010

With Israel making apparent efforts to build a case for war on Tehran, the Obama administration reportedly considers denying Tel Aviv the military items needed for an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had reportedly required the urgent delivery of a long list of US-made military equipment, including systems needed by the Israeli Air Force, certain types of missiles and advanced electronic war equipment; military sources told DEBKA on conditions of anonymity.

During a recent visit to Washington, Barak had reportedly criticized his hosts for stalling the delivery of the military items for the past three months, during which Israel was making preparations for a strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

It is absolutely essential for these items to reach Israel before a military flare-up occurred in the region, Barak said, to such extent that if they could not be supplied to Israel at short notice, they should at least be held ready in emergency stores in US bases in the Negev desert in Israel. …

www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120780&sectionid=351020104

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Reuters
November 21, 2009
By Fredrik Dahl and Hashem Kalantari

Iran’s military said it will begin large-scale air defense drills on Sunday, and a cleric in the Revolutionary Guards warned that the Islamic Republic would fire missiles at “the heart of Tel Aviv” if attacked.

The war games, due to last five days, are intended to help protect Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iranian media reported, citing Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani.

The statements came a day after senior officials from six world powers said they were disappointed Iran had not accepted proposals intended to delay its potential to make nuclear weapons, and urged Tehran to reconsider.

The United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France met after U.S. President Barack Obama warned there could be a package of sanctions against Iran within weeks.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the row over Iranian nuclear work that the West suspects is aimed at making bombs. …

www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5AK0FZ20091121

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spacewar.com
October 9, 2009

Amid smoldering tension with Iran, U.S. forces are deploying in Israel for a strategically important ballistic missile defense exercise, considered one of the most complex ever conducted by the two allies.

Juniper Cobra 2009, the latest in a biennial series that began in 2001, will focus on how well U.S. and Israeli forces can integrate and operate together in any future confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

U.S. officials insist that the exercise, due to commence Monday and end next Friday, is routine. “This exercise is not related to or in response to any world events,” the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv stressed.

But the maneuvers have taken on added importance since the U.S. administration scrapped plans to deploy land-based ballistic missile defense systems in Eastern Europe in August. The focus will now be on U.S. naval forces in the Mediterranean and the North Sea.

“Military exercises like Juniper Cobra do not take place in a vacuum,” according to the Texas-based security consultancy Strategic Forecasting. …

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_forces_in_Israel_for_missile_drill_999.html

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The Jerusalem Post
September 10, 2009, Updated September 13, 2009

On Sunday, the USS Higgins hauled up its anchor and sailed out of Haifa Port where it had docked for a short visit.

An Arleigh Burke class destroyer – one of the largest and most powerful naval vessels built in the United States – the Higgins is one of 18 American ships with an Aegis interceptor system, capable of destroying enemy ballistic missiles above the atmosphere.

In just a few weeks, additional Aegis vessels will arrive here to participate in the biennial Juniper Cobra missile defense exercise that the IDF has been holding with the US European Command (EUCOM) and Missile Defense Agency since 2001.

This year’s drill, scheduled for mid-October, is being described as the largest joint exercise ever held by the countries. During it they will jointly test four ballistic missile defense systems.

In addition to the Aegis, the MDA and EUCOM are sending THAAD and Patriot 3 missile defense systems – America’s most-advanced – for the first time. …

www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804542241&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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UPI.com
Sept. 8, 2009

Israeli officials say there is a “strong possibility” that the United States will leave missile defense systems in the Jewish state after a joint missile defense exercise planned for October is concluded …

The U.S. missiles, part of the Ballistic Defense Program, would almost certainly remain under U.S. control, but it was not clear whether they would participate in defending Israel against Iranian missiles.

The report indicated that the Americans may deploy the missiles in Israel rather than in the Czech Republic and Poland as planned, in deference to Russia’s vehement objections to having U.S. missile systems so close to its border.

The Israeli report published Monday followed an Aug. 27 report in the Warsaw newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza that Washington planned to scrap its plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an advanced radar in the Czech Republic to counter hostile missiles aimed at the United States, with Iran seen as the most likely threat. …

However, by redeploying the missiles in Israel, the Americans would be seen to be bolstering the Jewish state’s anti-missile defenses against a possible Iranian strike with its Shehab-3 ballistic missiles.

The Shehabs — Iran is believed to have 80-100 operational — are expected to be bolstered by more powerful Sajjil-2 missiles now being developed.

By adding U.S. weight to Israel’s own anti-ballistic defenses, namely the high-altitude, long-range Arrow-2 interceptor, Washington would be involving itself directly in the defense of Israel.

That would thus raise the stakes to an unprecedented degree in the event of an Iranian attack, either a first strike initiated by Tehran or one retaliating for a pre-emptive Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic. …

www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/09/08/US-may-redeploy-BDM-in-Israel/UPI-30531252421354/

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