US ponders denying Israel arms needed for Iran war
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.
The Negev desert is home to Israel's Dimona nuclear site, which is said to be the main source of plutonium for Tel Aviv's nuclear weapons program.
DEBKA, which is closely affiliated with the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, said US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has refused to follow up on Israeli calls to this day.
Israel, reported to have the region's sole atomic arsenal, has a long-standing tendency to bomb Iran's nuclear sites, arguing that the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Plans for a military attack against Iran have gained momentum in Tel Aviv over the past few months.
On November 7, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon warned Iran that Tel Aviv's persistent threats of military action were not just a bluff.
Iran, a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty unlike Israel, views the claims as "unfounded and baseless” as the non-diversion of Iranian nuclear materials has been repeatedly verified in unannounced visits by UN inspectors.
SBB/MMA/DT