Israel Reports Iranian-Made Rocket Hit

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A rocket fired at Israel by Palestinians earlier this month was made in Iran, an Israeli lawmaker and security officials said Tuesday.

The origins of the rocket, which hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon on Jan. 3, offered a further indication of ties between Gaza's militants and Iran's hard-line Islamic regime.

The military would not comment on the rocket's provenance at the time, but on Tuesday, Isaac Ben-Israel, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ruling Kadima party, said the projectile was manufactured by Iran, Israel's most bitter enemy.

Speaking at a press briefing, Ben-Israel, a retired Israeli air force general, estimated that Gaza militants had several such weapons in their arsenal, but "not many." Most of their projectiles are short-range rockets manufactured in Gaza.

Israeli security officials confirmed Tuesday that the rocket came from Iran. They could not immediately say if it was the first Iranian-made rocket to hit Israel.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release an official announcement to the press."

more

[Hydra]

1. OMG!!!

Are they planning on invading Iran by the end of the week? The rhetoric is coming out rapid fire right now.

[henank]

8. Such sympathetic responses

I can just see a mushroom cloud rising over Tel Aviv and the average DU poster will be saying "OMG! They're still claiming Iran has WMDs! Any excuse to go to war!"

Why is it so hard for you to accept the words of people who are more expert than you? Do you think every bullet and bomb has a made in ... (fill in the blank) on them? Do you think it is impossible for intelligence agencies to figure out the provenance of weaponry? Or do you consider this possibility only when the provenance happens to be the US or Israel?

[Hydra]

10. No, I roundly distrust "experts" when they give a predictable answer

Especially when the information fits the policy. Take this, for instance. 5 minutes after a bomb goes off in Iraq:

"Military officials have confirmed that the bombing was a trademark Al-Qaeda attack..."

Does Iran produce munitions? If they do, I'd be surprised to see anyone nearby not using something they made. The only reason why not to is to disavow any connection to, which I doubt is on the minds of the rebel Palestinians.

As for a mushroom cloud rising over Tel Aviv...there is more chance of that happening due to an accidental detonation of one of Israel's 400+ nukes than it coming from Iran right now.

So yeah, I have a little problem with the "experts" right now- they aren't exactly objective.

[azurnoir]

12. Mushroom clouds over Tel aviv?

A few years Americans were being told about the imminent mushroom clouds over Washington DC and NYC. Things turned out a bit differently and not because we invaded Iraq.
Lets be honest, Israel can not take out Iran on its own using "conventional" weapons, not at the very least without suffering massive damage it self. They're supplying Hezbollah and possibly Hamas is not a good enough reason for most Americans to get into yet another war, so what to do? Nuclear nightmare, unfortunately Bush "cried wolf" over that already.
Israel either wants America's nod of approval to nuke Iran or more likely American support in a conventional war, but if George does that he sinks any chance his political party has in the upcoming election. Not to mention the US got caught with its "pants around its ankles" last week trying to claim that an Iranian boat "made threats" against a US ship.
As things add up Tehran is in more danger of being under a mushroom cloud then Tel aviv.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/01/10/ST2008011001831.html

[Shaktimaan]

17. Right, that sounds likely.

Israel wants America's approval to NUKE Iran. Yeah, that's probably what's going on. It sounds like the most rational assumption to make about this situation.

:sarcasm:

You do realize that even when Israel was in danger of being overrun during the Yom Kippur War there wasn't any talk of them deploying nuclear weapons, right? And that any full scale war Israel fights requires almost its entire population of army and reserve age men, essentially shutting down their entire economy for the duration of the war?

Seeing your political analysis on situations like this makes it much more clear how you are able to believe some of the other insanity I've seen you take as common knowledge. And I find it reassuring too. I get agitated when I read some of the things people think about this conflict, not because they're untrue, but because they require such a willful suspension of rational thought and critical thinking. But then they go and post about how they believe in alien abductions or how Israel is currently seeking America's permission to nuke Iran and I realize that they don't represent the bulk of society. No offense.

[azurnoir]

18. Is this the line your talking about?

Israel either wants America's nod of approval to nuke Iran or more likely American support in a conventional war

Perhaps that "more likely" part went past you.

[Shaktimaan]

19. and exactly what

kind of "support" do you believe Israel is seeking from America for their coming war against Iran? (In the event they're not just waiting for Cheney's A-OK to nuke them, that is.)

I just didn't see it mentioned in the article you linked to, is all. But you seem to be much more adept at "reading between the lines" than I am, so please enlighten me as to what incredible information you exhumed from this deceptively straightforward story.

[azurnoir]

20. I am adept???

Sir I was answering Henanks supposition about mushroom clouds over Tel aviv, with what I felt a more likely scenario. Now as far as the article within that comment I also mentioned a recent factual event and posted a link to that, maybe you misunderstood my intent.
American support again that could take on a number of forms air support you know, conventional bombing being the most likely and least costly in a political and human cost (American that is) sense.
As to getting Cheneys A-OK I did not mention Cheney however if that is your assertion so be it.
Hopefully this will clarify for you.

[gateley]

2. Perfect! Bush is building his case. Won't be long now.... nt

[chimpymustgo]

3. 3...2...1...WAR!!!!

Well, the warmonger says he's making "peace", doncha know.

[Howardx]

4. total bullshit

why would anyone take their word for it? they offer no evidence.

[Igel]

13. Just out of curiosity ...

What evidence would be acceptable?

[Howardx]

14. pictures

the word of a neutral third party. etc.

[bemildred]

15. Mostly I'd just like to know what the evidence was.

I don't really know how you would know that a rocket was "made in Iran", short of it being a dud with "Made in Iran" is some suitable language stamped on it. I can think of a lot of possibilities, but in the case that the rocket actually exploded, it gets a little more technical. It's not that I doubt that it could be true, it's that I don't doubt that the IDF would lie about it either.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. Sorry, but this is almost comical. Was there a "made in Iran" stamp on it? nt

[Tom Joad]

7. Many of the weapons used in that region are funded by hardliners.

in the US Congress.
throw the freakin' bums out.

[Shaktimaan]

16. Now THAT comment is comical.

What congressional hardliners are funding Iranian rocket programs?

Whoever they are and whatever they're taking a hard line against, I have to agree with you, that's one pretty fucking hard line.
Remember those senators back in the 30's who invested in Dr. Mengele's medical technology start up? Tsk tsk. Will the hardliners ever learn?

[Tom Joad]

21. what are you talking about?

My point was that many weapons used in the Middle East are funded by the US. Used by the US itself or Israel. against civilians. In illegal occupations.

[Shaktimaan]

22. plural?

Let me ask you something. Do you think the coalition occupation of Iraq is illegal?
If so, why?

[Tom Joad]

23. If you don't think the US occupation in Iraq is illegal,

then i don't think i can convince you.

I think the burden is on the bushboys to explain to us what legal or moral basis exists for what most of us saw as a war of aggression against a sovereign nation.

[Shaktimaan]

26. Well, the Bush administration laid out its case for the war pretty clearly.

I was against the war, personally. Ethically, I think the war's execution was by far the most criminal aspect of the endeavor, as there did exist a convincing argument for the morality of removing Saddam from power. But I honestly don't know enough about the legality of such situations to rule on whether or not the invasion was clearly illegal. And regardless of whether initiating the war violated international law, I don't know if that has any subsequent bearing on whether the occupation is legal.

It's not a matter of convincing me of the war's illegality. I'm curious whether you actually know why the coalition occupation would be considered illegal.

[poverlay]

28. If you're unwilling to take Kofi Annan and Richard Perle's word on it you could always google

"Iraq war illegal". Amazing what can be found when you really want the truth...

[breakaleg]

24. Do you think it's illegal? If not, why not? What makes it ok for the US to invade Iraq?

[Tom Joad]

25. obviously we are dealing with a person who supports war and occupation

as a way of dealing with conflict.

Seems to be the prevailing view here.

[Shaktimaan]

27. So then,

would you say that you *never* would support war or occupation as a means of dealing with any conflict?

[LeftishBrit]

30. Never say never...

There are cases where military action is better than the alternatives. E.g. WW2. Bosnia. I would support appropriate military action in Darfur right now.

But it's very rare for military actions to be better than the alternatives; and certainly this was not the case with regard to Iraq.

[LeftishBrit]

29. I certainly think that the whole war is 'illegal' ...

in the sense of being aggressive (we were not threatened by Iraq) and based on lies.

[Shaktimaan]

9. Well, assuming everyone is being honest over there,

yes, it basically does have a "made in Iran" stamp on it.

Iran manufactures various brands of missiles. Even after such a rocket exploded a ballistics team would not have too hard of a time determining the type of rocket it was. And if it was the kind developed by and manufactured in Iran then it's a safe bet that the rocket is Iranian.

[breakaleg]

6. This kind of reminds me of those WMDs that were supposed to be hiding in Iraq. nt

[azurnoir]

11. So

MADE in Iran is somehow worse than supplied by Iran?