Israel Warns That It May Pre-Emptively Strike Syria to Prevent Dissemination of Chemical Weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) heads the first weekly Cabinet meeting since the nation’s General Election, at his office on January 27, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo: Getty Images)
(TheBlaze/AP) — Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike to stop Syria’s chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon’s Hezbollah or al-Qaida inspired groups, officials said Sunday.
The warning came as the military moved a rocket defense system to a main northern city, and Israel’s premier warned of dangers from both Syria and Iran.”
“We are facing many threats, from the most dangerous ones, which I have mentioned, to others and reality continues to evolve – in the east, in the north, in the south – the entire area is raging and we must prepared and strong and determined in the face of any possible development,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Israel has long expressed concerns that Syrian President Bashar Assad, clinging to power during a 22-month civil war, could lose control over his chemical weapons.
Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday that Israel’s top security officials held a special meeting last week to discuss Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, but the fact of the meeting, held the morning after a national election, had not been made public before.
Shalom told the Army Radio station that the transfer of weapons to violent groups, particularly the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, would be a game changer.
“It would be crossing a line that would demand a different approach, including even action,” he said. Asked whether this might mean a pre-emptive attack, he said: “We will have to make the decisions.”

Rebel fighters carry heavy weapons as they prepare to fight against Syrian regime forces in the village of Kurnaz, close to the western city of Hama, on January 27, 2013. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Israel has kept out of the civil war that has engulfed Syria and killed more than 60,000 people, but is concerned that violence could spill over from its northern border.
Israel deployed its Iron Dome rocket defense system in the northern city of Haifa on Sunday. The city was battered by Hezbollah rocket fire during a war in the summer of 2006, but the military called the deployment “routine.”
Iron Dome, an Israel-developed system that shoots down incoming short-range rockets, was used to defend Israeli cities during a round of hostilities with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, on Israel’s southern flank, last November.
Yisrael Hasson, a lawmaker and former deputy head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, said Israel is closely following developments in Syria to make sure chemical weapons don’t “fall into the wrong hands.”
“Syria has a massive amount of chemical weapons, and if they fall into hands even more extreme than Syria like Hezbollah or global jihad groups it would completely transform the map of threats,” Hasson told Army Radio.
“Global jihad” is the term Israel uses for forces influenced by al-Qaida. Syria’s rebels include al-Qaida-allied groups.

Syrian rebels take position in the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur on January 25, 2013. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Iran is Syria’s main regional ally, and a former Iranian official warned Friday that Iran won’t hesitate to use nuclear weapons against Israel and its supporters when it has the capability.
“We must look around us, at what is happening in Iran and its proxies and at what is happening in other areas, with the deadly weapons in Syria, which is increasingly coming apart,” Netanyahu repeated.
Israel views Iran as an existential threat because of its nuclear and missile programs and support for violent anti-Israeli groups in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as repeated references by Iranian leaders to Israel’s destruction. But Iran denies it is seeking to build atomic weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
Either way, tensions are running high in the Middle East and another storm appears to be brewing.
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Related:
- Former Iranian Official Says Iran Won’t Hesitate to Use Nuclear Bombs Against Israel & Others
- Obama Supporters Celebrate Election Victory: ‘No More Israel… F**k That Sh*t, Kill Those Mother F**kers’
- Hamas Fumes: Israel ‘Opened the Gates of Hell’ After Killing Top Chief During Anti-Militant Airstrikes
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Comments (73)
LeadNotFollow
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 2:37amBibi, do what needs to be done.
God has your back.
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waspanglosaxon
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 2:01amIf the USA would do a complete about-face, come into this on the side of Iran and help to stop Israel in her nefarious tracks, then we would show solidarity with the Arab world, Palestine would be returned to the Palestinians and international peace would reign at last in the Middle East. A subsidiary benefit would be that we’d no longer have to worry about anymore 9-11s in the future, (except maybe from the crazed Zionists, who were the original terrorists anyway).
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tzion
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:28amSounds like you studied the methods of Neville Chamberlain. Appease your enemies and they’ll be peaceful. Sorry to inform your clearly ill informed brain but that approach has rarely, if ever, worked. It failed to prevent WWII, it failed to end the conflict in Gaza, and it will undoubtably fail here. In contrast, Israel successfully forged two peace treaties by winning against its enemies in combat.
Of course, you’re clearly less concerned with peace and more concerned with opposing Israel.
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techengineer11
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:30pmtzion
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:28am
Sounds like you studied the methods of Neville Chamberlain. Appease your enemies and they’ll be peaceful.
No intelligent people even try to justify WW2 today.. They all know that it was the Jew’s revenge for being asked to leave Germany.. The German man wanted to rule in his native Germany and the Jews went damn ape. That’s WW2 in a nutshell. Unless the Jew is complete and utter control they scheme to destroy a people.
Watch how fast they turn on America once their cover is blown..
By the way how did that promise to protect Poland turn out again? We couldn’t allow Germany to have half of their old native soil but it was ok for the Marxist Jews to have all of Poland and all of Eastern Europe?
I’m still sort of scratching my head on that one tzion.. How were you able to deceive somewhat intelligent Americans for so long in thinking that this was somehow justified or ok?
If nothing else the Jew knows how to work their Media.. God only knows they sure perfected the use of propaganda because they have almost the entire damn Western world under their diabolical spell!
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tzion
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 4:46pm@Tech
What history book did you read? “Common knowledge” you say? Common among whom? Actual history goes like this:
-Hitler remilitarizes the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. World remains silent.
-Hitler annexes Austria. World remains silent.
-Hitler demands that the Sudetenland, then part of Czechoslovakia, be returned to Germany. Neville Chamberlain acquiesces and proclaims “I have brought peace in our time.”
-Hitler invades Czechoslovakia. Britain and France issue an ultimatum proclaiming their intention to declare war should Hitler invade Poland.
-Hitler and Stalin sign a nonaggression pact, Poland is invaded and WWII begins.
-Hitler will go on to attack Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Denmark, Russia, and many other countries throughout Europe and North Africa, all without provocation.
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GoodStuff
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:06amIsaiah 17 is almost here:
A Prophecy Against Damascus
17:1
“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins.”
Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes, but people are too busy watching reality TV.
Assad will use chemical weapons, Israel will respond with nukes against Damascus.
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soybomb315_II
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:33amis it typical to post a bible verse and then a minute later tell a lie and mischaracterize someone else’s statement?
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marssnw
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:38amyou are right. I thought of that verse too. Prophecy is being fulfilled.
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Diego Roswell
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 11:07pmWAR is already here. Why do progressives preach anti-war out of one orifice and pass mass murder out the other? Just because you don’t see columns of US army soldiers marching to Tehran doesn’t mean we are at peace or that peace will ever be achieved. The world is at war and we (USA) are in the thick of it. We can sit on our hands and pretend we’re not, or plan ahead and do the best we can to preserve the lives of Americans. War is coming to our shores this time. To deny the inevitability of that fact is to be a brainwashed progressive tool.” The individual is not only best qualified to provide his own personal defense, he is the only one qualified to do so: and his right to do so is guaranteed by the Constitution.” You can never be too ready.
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nzkiwi
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:27amI agree, Diego.
There was a very loud bang inside Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment facility last week. The Iranian leadership is calling it sabotage and I’m sure that they’re right.
It is suspected that the explosive device was smuggled in with equipment or supplies to the 2700 centrifuge unit which is about 300 metres beneath the ground.
I think, given the damage done and the difficulty in smuggling in a necessarily large amount of explosive, that a small nuclear device might have been involved (pure conjecture on my part). Whatever it was, the facility appears to be permanently off-line.
That will be to the great relief and satisfaction of everybody else, I’m sure.
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soybomb315_II
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 11:04pmi am curious to know how Israel will know exactly when the chemical weapons are in the wrong hands and exactly where they are. Aren’t syria’s chemicals weapons dispersed throughout the country?
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GoodStuff
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:07amYour boy Rand believes Iran should be able to have nukes…so why do you care?
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soybomb315_II
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:28amwell that is not true and a stupid response
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:57am@Soybomb – given the infiltration abilities of the Massad I would not be shocked if they have agents in place to tip them off the instant it happens (if such a time comes.) The matter is Russia’s PM announced over the Mid Eastern news services that Syria must be left to its own devices, or Russia and a coalition of forces will “deal with any interlopers, whether America or Israeli.”
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Gonzo
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 8:00amI have the same doubts Soy. I’m just not sure how successful a military strike could be in preventing dissemination of weapons of any kind. It wont be long before Libyan shoulder fired anti aircraft munitions find their way onto U.S. soil. Of course Obama won’t take the blame for it. He’s a Democrat.
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jman-6
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:54pmJust know that Iran is behind this as they will have Syria & Lebanon [Hezbollah] attack Israel to shift focus away from their nuclear ambitions. Unforntunately for the Ayatollah, he forgot that GOD is the real Supreme leader and I believe we will witness bible prophecy fulfilled in real time i.e. Psalm 83 & Isaiah 17! Fear not my brethren our Redemption draws near! Praise HIM for HE is Worthy! GOD SPEED
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:36pmMeanwhile, Iran is enriching her nuclear fuel at full speed, and nobody is talking about it anymore…I miss the time when one year ago, the media was speculating about the possibility of Israel bombing Iran in 2012’s Spring….I hope they do it this Spring….
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jman-6
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:57pmIt’s coming my friend it’s coming. There’s a high probability Iran will be getting a nuke or to…Pointy End Down!
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DrFreedom
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 3:35amYou know those food box for Israel Commercials? We need one for ammo boxes to Israel, at least they seem to have the balls to use them against these idiots…
On second thought.. never mind, looks like we are going to be needing all the ammo we can get real soon…
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TreeTrimmerJim
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:33pmIf I want to hear a video I will initiate the video.
If the Blaze has decided to have videos default to self initiate then I will default to some other source of the news.
Thank you very much.
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dealer@678
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:33pmIf only America had a leader like Netanyahu.
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Witness1974
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:32amEvery time I hear Netanyahu I am awe-struck. He’s a rare breed that is nearly extinct in this country: A statesman.
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AbrahamsSheepdog
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:15amTrue-True
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cja23
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:30pmIsrael better be care if Obama is selling fighter jets to Egypt and the muslim brotherhood.
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:42pmEgyptians with F16, It is like monkeys driving cars (Or goats)….nothing to worry about….and I’m not joking, you need to check how good those Israelies are with their planes…
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dealer@678
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:29pmI trust anything Israel does. Period
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nzkiwi
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 11:08pmWhile I’m very sympathetic to Israel’s position and am personally supportive, it doesn’t make good sense to blind oneself. No country and no person is perfect.
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 2:00am@NZKiwi – exactly, once the Israeli leaders refused to listen to their own intelligence services, especially a lone lieutenant who figured out war to be coming and shortly after Egypt crossed into the Sinai peninsula to do battle.
History is filled with scenarios of ‘they cannot do that’ such as the Ardenne’s through which everyone declared armored vehicles could not pass – France and America found that out the hard way on separate occasions – it seems their ‘experts’ forgot to tell the German army.
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ellietoo
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:28pmYou can bet that the United States would make it their business to do a preemptive strike if a bordering country was stocking chemical weapons. Well, the old US would anyway. Obama’s US would sit with their finger up their nose and do nothing.
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AbrahamsSheepdog
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:24amOr is this gettin outa with arms building all flicking around Israel? Half the border sea… F16′s & 20 new Tanks. Isaiah 17 & soon looks like
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KidCharlemagne
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:10pmThings certainly do change quickly in the Middle East don’t they?…..
It was only three decades ago that Israel was selling weapons of mass destruction to Iran:
——————————-
“For Israel, Iran had been a major arms market. In the first decade of Khomeini’s rule, Israel had been blinded to the radical nature and aims of the new regime by a desire to cash in on Tehran’s urgent need for weapons in the intensifying Iran-Iraq war. Thus Operation Seashell, in which hundreds of tons of Israeli weapons were airlifted or shipped to Iran, was conceived. More would follow in what became known as the Iran-contra affair. “I don’t remember even one discussion about the ethics of the matter,” one key figure from the Israeli Defense Ministry is quoted as saying. “All that interested us was to sell, sell, sell.”
Jerusalem Post: “Open Secrets”
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AUsername
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:33pmthat is good news, there friends and they won’t hurt each other, so its war propaganda than by radical zionists and neo cons awesome.
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Fubared
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 8:33amOoh, Jews and über neo-cons again. Moowhahahahaha. Hide the men and children.
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tzion
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:12am@auser
Israel supported Iran in their fight against Israel’s enemy of Iraq. Now Iran is repaying Israel by funding, sponsoring, and arming Israel’s enemies, not unlike how the Taliban was sponsoring our enemies. Why should Israel treat Iran any better than we treated Afghanistan? Iran started this currently cold war with Israel so it’s their fault if it ceases to be cold.
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gyro
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:08pmThis is obama’s problem he did nothing a month ago when Chemical Weapons were used and only spoke out few days ago is a mish mash way
He sends money and weapons to the rebles that will bring the Chemical Weapons to a us city near you as soon as the war ends
happy joy joy when hundreds of americans are dead in the streets and obama blames bush
obama the peace prize president will end up killing millions
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AUsername
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:05pmWow so i guess Iran ignored their bullying and threats so now the bully in the region chooses Syria to harass. but as long as Israel fights their own battle and doesn’t get sugar daddy usa involved fine.
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Fubared
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:12pmWhew, glad they finally got your green light. Can you imagine the angst they have been facing waiting for you to weigh in. Somewhere in the story you read in to them pleading for aid or attention?
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techengineer11
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 11:58pmFubared
Wouldn’t you feel more at home in Israel? I’d certainly feel more secure here if you were over there. ;)
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Fubared
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 8:35amSo would most of your family. Oh well. Xin loi?
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banjarmon
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:04pmPeople WAKE UP!!! WE ARE ALREADY IN WW III and have been for years!!! The ones that want to destroy America believe in islam!!!
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gyro
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:08pmyou peg it right so often
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Yakov-Yurovsky
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:04pmIsrael, be careful! Remember what happened to Germany when they pre-emptively attacked the USSR-lol
But I hear ya, I would’ve said the same thing too if I lived in your neighborhood!
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twistin
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:43amIsraelis won’t have to worry about the snow at St. Petersburg.
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Advection
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:57pmI imagine obama will send arms to Syria.
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:04pmHe already is sending arms, to the terrorists who seek to claim Syria as their own. I imagine Obama will strike at Israel and hard if they strike at Syria.
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Captain77
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:54pm“Preemptive Strike” is no less an act of war as “Preemptive war”. Basically, if Israel does what it is threatening to do is to start a war with Syria, which would then drag in Iran, ultimately ending with perhaps a world war. Israel had better proceed with caution, for they may be kicking a hornets nest that will in turn give them one hell of a sting, along with the rest of the world.
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usedCZARsalesman
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 12:52amCAPTAIN…what would you have them do? (In all honesty)…if Syrian chemical weapons get into the hands of random terrorist groups the threats to Israel increase exponentially.
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:53pmAnd here comes Jihad Jerk-Berlusconi in 3…2…1…
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Fubared
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:13pmShhh.
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americansfightingforcommonsense
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:50pmSick’em Bengi. It’s time to say no and He11 No as well. We need to put a stop to this corruption around the world.
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Fubared
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:48pmScrew it, why not just do it for the sake of doing it for a change? Do it just because you can; rotate war stock, training purposes, oops, or whatever. Pretend there are 10000 jihad jerks massed and fire for effect. Then, just let the massive Jewish cabal media monstrosity take care of the talking points to the western Pavlovian Jewish indoctrinated masses and there won’t be an iota of questions surrounding the loss of a few 1000 jihad jerks with wmd’s (who cares if they have them, smoke em). Send a message to all the jihad jerks of the ME. Next?
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waspanglosaxon
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:43pmOh, so this is how they’re gonna do it. Iran has said that “Any attack upon Syria is an attack upon us”. So the Israelis simply attacks Syria to provoke an attack upon them by Iran, then they can drag their puppet state of ZOG into the war by claiming that they were ‘attacked’. Of course, no matter what happens, the majority of those killed and injured fighting Syria and/or Iran will not, unfortunately, be the warlike Israelis, but the dumb-bunny soldiers of ZOG, who’ll die, as usual, fighting for the interests of foreigners who hate their ‘dumb goyim’ guts.
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Fubared
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:31amWhere is the wasp spray when you need it?
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skippy6
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:41pmBut Iran denies it is seeking to build atomic weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
What the hell for, they live on a lake of oil!
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KidCharlemagne
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:45pmskippy6
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:41pm
But Iran denies it is seeking to build atomic weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
What the hell for, they live on a lake of oil!
===============================
Back in 1975, President Gerald Ford’s advisers believed that Iran would start running out of oil by 1990 (that was 23 years ago) and that Iran would need alternative sources of energy by then:
————–
“Ford’s team commended Iran’s decision to build a massive nuclear energy industry, noting in a declassified 1975 strategy paper that Tehran needed to “prepare against the time — about 15 years in the future — when Iranian oil production is expected to decline sharply.”
Estimates of Iran’s oil reserves were smaller then than they are now, but energy experts and U.S. intelligence estimates continue to project that Iran will need an alternative energy source in the coming decades. Iran’s population has more than doubled since the 1970s, and its energy demands have increased even more.
The Ford administration — in which Cheney succeeded Rumsfeld as chief of staff and Wolfowitz was responsible for nonproliferation issues at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency — continued intense efforts to supply Iran with U.S. nuclear technology until President Jimmy Carter succeeded Ford in 1977.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3983-2005Mar26.html
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tzion
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:19am@kid
If it was for civilian use they wouldn’t be refining the uranium to weapons grade. They have already refined their material sufficiently for energy purposes but aren’t stopping.
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justangry
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:37pmI imagine that will help stabilize the region. Sigh.
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Fubared
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:54pmAnd free chemicals for all the bots! Wait, Angry they were talking chemical weapons, not like fun like chemicals. Dang.
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barber2
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 9:55pmJust: Do you really think ANYTHING will stabilize that area short of a massive earthquake or another Vesuvius ?!
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justangry
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:26pm@Fubared, I’m aware of what Chemical weapons are. They’re cheap, easy to produce and a lot of countries have them. My great grandfather told me about mustard gas in WW1 a hundred years ago. In other words it’s old school. It’s nasty business, but doesn’t justify preemption, especially when we’ve heard that lie from the same people a few times already and it’s never been accurate. How many times do they have to be wrong before you develop a sense of skepticism towards their war propaganda?
@Barber, Probably not.
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brother_ed
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 10:48pmI’m with JUSTANGRY on this one…
I am no foreign policy expert, but a pre-emptive would more than likely be the start of something that’ll drag everybody into war.
“The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in, gives way…” – Pink Floyd
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soybomb315_II
Posted on January 27, 2013 at 11:55pmi heard that some countries even have box cutters
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Witness1974
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 1:39amJustangry: WWI was a horror, as you well know. But it’s not just mustard and chlorine gas anymore. I think the possibility of nerve agents in terrorist hands does justify a pre-emptive strike. Syria has whatever befalls it coming. They are a terrorist government, as thousands of their own people have experienced first hand. They have been on the terrorist nations list for quite awhile. During the early days of the war in Iraq, foreign nationals came streaming through Syria to attack our troops. They are partners with Iran and North Korea. What does it take for the West to take some real action?
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Fubared
Posted on January 28, 2013 at 8:31amAngrier
While I am partial to Dijon, who be ‘they’ this time?
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