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Last update - 15:54 03/05/2009
'IDF staged drills over Gibraltar, in preparation for Iran strike'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: nuclear program, IDF, iran 

The Israel Air Force recently staged military exercises between Israel and the British colony of Gibraltar near southern Spain, the French magazine L'Express reported on Saturday.

The fact that the drills were held 3,800 kilometers away from Israel "confirms that the Israel Defense Forces is making concrete preparations" to attack Iran over its refusal to cooperate with the international community over its contentious nuclear program, according to L'Express.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed last week that Israel would not attack Iran even if the international sanctions against Tehran fail to convince President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to give up his country's nuclear program, in an interview with the Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung.
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But The London Times reported a few weeks ago that the IDF was indeed making preparations to be able to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities, to be carried out within days of being given the go-ahead by Israel's government.

"Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words," one senior Israeli defense official told The Times.

The London Times report appeared to be an Israeli message to Iran conveying its capability and readiness to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

The report included a nation-wide home front drill, scheduled for June, among what it calls Israel's intensive preparations for the possibility of an attack, aiming to prepare Israel's civilians for the possible consequences of an attack on Iran.

"We would not make the threat [against Iran] without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel's willingness to act," another official from Israel's intelligence community told the Times.

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  • Iran warns Israel not to attack nuclear sites
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      1.   Iran Attack 10:13  |  Avraham 03/05/09
      2.   Avraham 10:33  |  Cyrus the Great 03/05/09
      3.   Israel`s problem is that nobody is taking it seriously 11:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 03/05/09
      4.   Avraham #1 11:13  |  Michael 03/05/09
      5.   OY,WE MISSED IT 11:34  |  sam el llanito 03/05/09
      6.   Liberman is the only one who thinks tacticly 11:56  |  zionist forever 03/05/09
      7.   [yawn] 11:59  |  Muslim 03/05/09
      8.   We land civilians are minus our gasmasks thanks to likud egoist 12:11  |  civvie 03/05/09
      9.   Yawn...Thia again? 12:18  |  Natallie Durson 03/05/09
      10.   Lets just sit back and watch the fireworks. 13:04  |  Labhras 03/05/09
      11.   #1 Avraham--"We Call it ,"enlightened self interest". 13:09  |  Labhras 03/05/09
      12.   Not going to happen 13:16  |  Chris Linthwaite 03/05/09
      13.   It`s about time 13:21  |  petra 03/05/09
      14.   Israel can`t do a thing without US green light and Obama said NO 14:05  |  John 03/05/09
      15.   Preparations on the home front 14:06  |  A mother 03/05/09
      16.   Iran`s nukes 14:29  |  Mir 03/05/09
      17.   It won`t happen, don`t worry of an IAF attack. 14:43  |  Fortuna Benmayor 03/05/09
      18.   "drills over Gibraltar, in preparation for Iran strike" 14:53  |  Axel 03/05/09
      19.   IAF 15:40  |  Iain 03/05/09
      20.   THis is Not a Big Deal 15:42  |  MIKE 03/05/09
      21.   Mir 12 15:45  |  ChanahS 03/05/09
      22.   We will wake up one morning, and Iran`s nukes will be gone. 15:47  |  Dan 03/05/09
      23.   Joke 15:49  |  ChanahS 03/05/09
      24.   Natallie Durson 15:52  |  Oleg 03/05/09
      25.   To Iain 15:55  |  Oleg 03/05/09
      26.   power power 16:01  |  john 03/05/09
      27.   Oleg in NY 16:03  |  jennifer 03/05/09
      28.   Oleg Are you part of the mythological US fifth column? 16:08  |  jim the mechanic 03/05/09
      29.   Mission Possible 16:14  |  Charles Marks 03/05/09
      30.   an attack will happen if all else fails 16:19  |  Abe 03/05/09
      31.   Iran fought Iraq and never used chem. weapons unlike saddam 16:27  |  chilem 03/05/09
      32.   AGAIN? LoL 16:28  |  indrajaya 03/05/09
      33.   Thanks W! 16:40  |  Jesse Stock 03/05/09
      34.   Iran is a poison to this world 16:42  |  JP 03/05/09
      35.   foreign news knows everything? right??? 16:45  |  JO 03/05/09
      36.   #27 AGAIN?LoL indrajaya and if Israel does strike you`ll be wrong 16:50  |  petra 03/05/09
      37.   chilem is wrong, dead wrong 17:08  |  bo jangles 03/05/09
      38.   #31 your link only says iraq used them lol 17:22  |  chilem 03/05/09
      39.   Actions vs rhetorics. 17:22  |  BazMann 03/05/09
      40.   Charles Marks 17:31  |  Persian Kitty 03/05/09
      41.   So If We Can`t Take Out Iran, We Take Out Gibraltar Instead? 17:34  |  David H 03/05/09
      42.   US sending missiles to Gulf States 17:36  |  Lynn 03/05/09
      43.   # 11 John Yes, the "fabled" green light theory 17:42  |  Lynn 03/05/09
      44.   war 18:01  |  cohen 03/05/09
      45.   Stop training!!, you are being watched 18:04  |  Jules Gilbert 03/05/09
      46.   To the genious David H 18:08  |  HelleElena 03/05/09
      47.   # 37, LYNN 18:19  |  indrajaya 03/05/09
      48.   # 38 lynn be specific 19:18  |  Axel 03/05/09
      49.   Chris Linthwaite: Taking Israel Seriously. 20:58  |  Evan of Oz-trail-ya 03/05/09
      50.   Can`t get to Iran without flying over US controlled Airspace 21:19  |  David 03/05/09
      51.   # 40. Stop training etc. 21:21  |  Evan of Oz-trail-ya 03/05/09
      52.   israeli talk of preemptive strike might bring preemp. iran attack 21:39  |  chilem 03/05/09
      53.   Israel is alone 21:54  |  Clint 03/05/09
      54.   Fortuna Benmayor 21:56  |  TonyL 03/05/09
      55.   why didnt anyone stop israel from getting the nukes they have 22:12  |  chilem 03/05/09
      56.   IAIN.Never heard of Syria presumably. 22:57  |  PETER SM 03/05/09
      57.   Iranian Trap 23:47  |  Jimmy 03/05/09
      58.   Get it over with already 23:50  |  Michael Zubick 03/05/09
      59.   to Chris Linthwaite #3 `Israel`s problem` 00:46  |  Colin Wright 04/05/09
      60.   To Oleg 01:55  |  Iain 04/05/09
      61.   London Times 02:55  |  Michelle 04/05/09
      62.   persian kitty 03:34  |  Michelle 04/05/09
      63.   Clint # 48 God has nothing to do with US policy 03:38  |  American in NY 04/05/09
      64.   to American NY 03:58  |  Michelle 04/05/09
      65.   Don`t know if possible, but don`t discount 04:17  |  Ofer 04/05/09
      66.   # 48 Colin Wright: Israel Alone. 04:28  |  Evan of Oz-trail-ya 04/05/09
      67.   # 10 Petra "Irans sabre rattling"?? 05:02  |  Eyes Wide Open 04/05/09
      68.   Iain # 55 05:31  |  Eyes Wide Open 04/05/09
      69.   Michael in Oxford, MS... have you perhaps not... 06:06  |  BBSNews 04/05/09
      70.   Hey Evan with the god complex... 06:19  |  BBSNews 04/05/09
      71.   Iran is to the east not over Gilbraltar :) 06:20  |  Joseph.E 04/05/09
      72.   Eyes Wide Open 06:39  |  Michael Zubick 04/05/09
      73.   IDF drill 07:19  |  jtaylo 04/05/09
      74.   61/Evan of Oz 07:24  |  Deacon2 04/05/09
      75.   To Iain 07:27  |  arik 04/05/09
      76.   Evan from Oz 07:38  |  RFE 04/05/09
      77.   Eyes wide Open 07:52  |  Iain 04/05/09
      78.   Peter 07:57  |  Iain 04/05/09
      79.   Natalie, don`t jump to conclusions 08:07  |  Ron 04/05/09
      80.   For John # 11. 09:37  |  David Nigel Braham 04/05/09
      81.   Israel has already attacked Iran with impunity 10:35  |  Gregor 04/05/09
      82.   colin wright 10:51  |  Gregor 04/05/09
      83.   suicide collective 11:25  |  google 04/05/09
      84.   Israeli nazis ready to cause Iranian holocaust 11:28  |  esqueleto 04/05/09
      85.   Using two air spaces in order to get to Iran 11:42  |  Happy Californian 04/05/09
      86.   S-300 12:30  |  Iain 04/05/09
      87.   Kiwi Iain 13:00  |  Eyes Wide Open 04/05/09
      88.   IDF drills 15:23  |  Carole 04/05/09
      89.   Fanical mullahs- IRAN IS THE MAD DOG The Israel haters love to 15:54  |  ks 04/05/09
      90.   Israel is only the first country they want to destroy, then the 16:13  |  ks 04/05/09
      91.   Not meaning to be rude or anything..... 16:29  |  Johnboy 04/05/09
      92.   God`s Chosen People 16:43  |  Carole 04/05/09
      93.   The Iranians will give it to the Israelis, just like their 17:06  |  Murray of Montreal 04/05/09
      94.   # 82 gregor 21:57  |  Axel 04/05/09
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