Israel gets fifth ‘nuclear-capable’ sub
Israel has inaugurated its fifth Dolphin-class submarine, allegedly capable of launching cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. A German shipyard in Kiel has a contract to build a sixth sub “to ensure the security of Israel's citizens,” the PM said.
RT,
30 April, 2013
The submarine has been baptized INS Rahav. Rahav is a demon, a cosmic sea monster, ‘Prince of the Sea’ according to the Talmud. It was also the name of a strange woman from Jericho who hid two Jewish scouts from the King of Jericho in the Book of Joshua, Old Testament.
After the submarine is fully equipped and passes all tests, it will cost $500 million and will enter service as possibly the most sophisticated and expensive weapon of Israeli Navy. Delivery to client is reportedly expected by the end of 2013.
The INS Rahav was built in northern Germany at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard in Kiel. She is believed to be one of the most advanced and sophisticated diesel-electric submarines in the world.
“The INS Rahav is one of the most advanced submarines in the world,” said Israeli Defense Ministry in a statement on Monday, reported Jerusalem Post.
“It is a versatile platform which can adapt to many and varied missions. The fleet of submarines forms a long arm for the [Israel] Navy, the IDF, and the State of Israel,” the ministry said.
Israel's new Dolphin-class submarine surfaces in the Mediterrannean Sea near Haifa (Reuters)
In June 2012, Der Spiegel reported that Germany is actually strengthening Israel’s nuclear capabilities. The magazine claimed that Dolphin-class submarines are equipped with hydraulic ejection systems that enable the underwater launch of Israeli Popeye Turbo SLCM long-range cruise missiles, believed to have nuclear warheads.
Israel’s Popeye cruise missile is believed to have a range of up to 1500km and carry a 200kg payload, enough to fit in a nuclear warhead. The first launch of the missile was carried out in 2002 in the Indian Ocean.
Thus the German-built submarines are believed to be the backbone of the Israeli nuclear deterrent against Iran.
“The submarines are a strong, strategic tool for the IDF. The State of Israel is ready to act anytime, anywhere – on land, sea and air – in order to ensure the security of Israel's citizens,” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said according to Associated Press.
Israel’s coastline in total, including islands, is a mere 273km, and it is no exaggeration to say that there is no other country with so many submarines to protect so short a sea border.
Germany building up Israel’s ‘deterrence’ submarine fleet
Germany started to deliver its Type 800 Dolphin-class submarines to Israel after the first Persian Gulf War.The first two submarines were donated to Tel Aviv for free while the third came with a 50-per-cent discount, informs International Defense News. Berlin also shared about a third of the costs for the fourth and fifth submarines.
The fourth, the INS Tannin, opened the new generation of Dolphin II class submarines, capable of remaining submerged for long periods using cutting edge ‘air independent propulsion’ technology, which allows the engines of diesel-electric submarines to run without atmospheric oxygen.
Israeli Navy submarine "Dolphin" sails along the Mediterranean coast of Tel Aviv (AFP Photo/Gali Tibbon)
In March 2012 Israel and Germany signed a contract for a sixth and the last Dolphin-II class submarine that will be delivered in several years. Berlin allocated about 135 million euro (US $175.8 million) of the overall 600-million-euro cost of the sub.
In December 2011 Jerusalem Post reported that Israel invested about $27 million in a comprehensive structural overhaul and upgrade of the Dolphine I submarines at a shipyard in Haifa.
“The Germans can be proud to have secured the existence of Israel for many years,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Der Spiegel in June 2012.
According to Barak, the INS Tannin delivered May 3, 2012, became yet another “force multiplier in terms of the capabilities and strength of Israel’s defense forces.”
Commenting the delivery of INS Tannin, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz specified that in conditions of growing strategic challenges in the Middle East Israeli’s Navy and its submarine fleet in particular represents a “defensive and fighting arm of deterrence.”
The “force multiplier” and “fighting arm” remarks of Israeli officials might as well point out that the alleged nuclear missiles in the possession of the state of Israel could be regarded not only as a shield, but as a sword as well.
Officially, Germany has always maintained that it doesn’t have a slightest idea about Israel’s military nuclear program and possible deployment of nuclear missiles on German-built submarines. However, according to Der Spiegel’s research, several former high-ranking German officials have never doubted Israel was putting nuclear missiles on its subs.
Israeli Seamen atop a new Dolphin-class submarine lay 69 wreaths in Mediterrannean Sea between Cyprus and Crete (Reuters)
According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the German government was well aware of Israel’s nuclear program as early as in 1961. The latest evidence from German Foreign Ministry archives presented by the magazine last year dates back to 1977 and corresponds to a discussion on the nuclear issue between then-Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and then-German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, despite continuing international pressure, claiming it would be against its national security interests. Though Israel is not officially recognized as a nuclear weapons state, it is believed to possess several hundred operational nuclear devices.
Grad missiles, anti-aircraft guns: Armed men surround Libya Justice Ministry
Heavily-armed
men in pick-up trucks have surrounded Libya’s Justice Ministry,
demanding the resignation of any officials who served in the regime
of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi.
RT,
30
April, 2013
Upwards
of 20 pickup trucks mounted with machine guns, grad missiles and
anti-aircraft guns have positioned themselves at the ministry’s
gates, blocking access to the building, AFP reports. Despite the
heavy artillery, the men were not overtly hostile and no shots have
reportedly been fired.
"Several armed men in vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft guns surrounded the Ministry of Justice,"Walid Ben Rabha, head of the ministry's information department, said on Tuesday.
"They asked the minister and staff present to leave their offices and close the ministry."
"Several armed men in vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft guns surrounded the Ministry of Justice,"Walid Ben Rabha, head of the ministry's information department, said on Tuesday.
"They asked the minister and staff present to leave their offices and close the ministry."
Libyan
gunmen surround the Libyan Justice Ministry demanding a ban against
those who worked under the former regime of ousted leader Moamer
Kadhafi from holding senior positions on April 30, 2013, in the
capital Tripoli. (AFP Photo)
Dozens of gunmen in Tripoli besieged the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, calling on authorities to enact a law which will ban former aides to Gaddafi from serving in the government.
On Monday, disgruntled police officers firing their guns into the air stormed the Interior Ministry demanding higher wages. The country’s national television station was also targeted in a separate attack.
The growing unrest prompted the General National Congress (GNC) – the legislative authority of Libya – to push up its next scheduled sitting from Tuesday to Sunday.
A spokesman said the postponement would give deputies time to study the legislation the protesters are demanding. If passed, the law would result in the ouster of several long-serving ministers, including the Congress’s leader itself; depending on the final draft.
Perceived legislative foot-dragging has incensed many Libyans eager to see the so-called Political Isolation Law come into effect.
"If they don't pass the political isolation law, we will protest here and topple the government," a demonstrator who identified himself as Faisal Alaqsa told Reuters.
However, Deputy Head of the GNC Salah Makhzoum countered claims the bill wouldn’t go through, saying delays in the laws implementation were part of the normal political process. He further said the law had already been passed in principle, but that political factions within the GNC had been given 13 days to hammer out the details.
In March, protesters barricaded members of the GNC inside parliament for hours, urging lawmakers to adopt measures barring Gaddafi-era officials from political life. Once the siege was lifted, gunmen targeted GNC chief Mohammed Megaryef's motorcade, although no one was injured in the assault.
Libyan
gunmen surround the Libyan Justice Ministry demanding a ban against
those who worked under the former regime of ousted leader Moamer
Kadhafi from holding senior positions on April 30, 2013, in the
capital Tripoli. (AFP Photo)
The government has been fighting an uphill battle to assert its authority throughout the country, much of which is still controlled by rebel groups who failed to disband following the 2011 uprising.
Fears of a security breakdown in the capital were heightened following a car bomb which targeted the French embassy in Tripoli last week, injuring two French guards and a girl living nearby.
The intensification of armed protests over the last several days has further highlighted security concerns, prompting the German embassy to halt some activities.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan denounced the rash of paramilitary actions targeting government offices, calling on Libyans to throw their support behind the government in resisting armed groups “who want to destabilize the country and terrorize foreigners and embassies."
However, he ruled out the possibility that authorities would meet the armed protest with force.
Bombs Hit Baghdad as Iraq Violence Moves Into Second Week
29
April, 2013
Bombings
tore through the Shi’ite
portions of the Iraqi capital city of
Baghdad today, killing dozens and adding to fears that last week’s
eruption of sectarian violence is just the beginning of a new civil
war.
Iraq’s
government has also announced a 48-hour
closureof
the Jordanian border, nominally for “urgent internal reasons,”
but sparking immediate speculation from Sunni protesters that it is
punishment for their demonstrations. Iraq’s Sunni provinces rely on
trade with Jordan.
Last
week’s protests started with a general
strike across
Sunni Arab provinces, and was quickly met with a violent
crackdown on one of
the protest sites, and mass resignations for Sunni officials from the
government in protest.
This
now has Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi as
well as top Iraqi National Alliance official Osama Nujaifi calling
for the resignation of the current government and fresh elections.
Since they represent two of the top three blocs in parliament, and
presumably have support from the fourth, the Kurdistan Alliance, they
could force new elections in theory, though whether they will remains
to be seen.
Netanyahu: Iran Still Hasn’t
Crossed ‘Red Line’
29
April, 2013
In
comments today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted
that Iranstill
hasn’t crossed the “red line” he set for them last year,
conceding that Iran is falling short of his “benchmark.”
The
“red line” was supposed to be a justification for war, and the
point at which Iran has enough 20 percent enriched uranium that,
assuming hypothetical additional enrichment, they could maybe create
a single atomic bomb.
Since
that time Iran has continued to produce 20 percent enriched uranium,
but has continued to use it as well, as fuel in the Tehran Research
Reactor (TRR), which produces medical isotopes. Though there no
longer appears to be a good estimate of “when,” Netanyahu insists
he remains confident Iran will eventually cross the line.
This
is starkly different from comments made only yesterday by Strategic
Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, who claimed Iran had the capability
of making 20-30
nuclear weapons per year.
In spite of this hysteria, Iran hasn’t made a single nuclear
weapon, nor is there any indication they are anywhere near attempting
to do so.
Israel: Not encouraging US to attack Syria
29
April, 2013
Israeli
officials today sought to clarify Tuesday’s
allegation of
Syrian chemical weapons use does
not mean that
they are encouraging the US to attack Syria over the “red line”
previously set by the Obama Administration.
Some
officials had been suggesting that if the US failed to attack Syria
after Israeli claim it could “embolden” Syria as well as Iran,
who the US has also regularly threatened to attack, that those
threats aren’t serious.
Strategic
Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz insisted that
was not the case, saying that they “never asked, nor did we
encourage” any sort of US military action against Syria.
Steinitz
went on to dismiss claims of a link to the threats to attack Iran,
saying the long-standing threats to attack Iran are “a completely
different matter” and that there is no linkage between that and
Syria.
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