Israel prepares for war with Iran

Report: PM to ask US for bombs against Iran

Sunday Times reports Netanyahu will press Obama administration during upcoming Washington visit to release sophisticated bunker-busting bombs needed for possible strike on nuclear sites

ynet

Published: 03.21.10, Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will press the American administration during his upcoming visit to Washington to release sophisticated bunker-busting bombs needed for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, the Sunday Times reported in its website.

Netanyahu will leave for the United States on Sunday evening in order to attend a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He is also expected to meet with senior administration officials.

Before leaving, the prime minister is scheduled to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for a discussion on the crisis over the construction in Jerusalem and the indirect talks with the Palestinians.

In Washington, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A meeting with President Barack Obama is in the works.

The Scotland Herald reported last week that hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs were shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.

The newspaper quoted a manifest from the US navy as saying that the shipment included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.

Experts told the paper that the ammunition was being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. Although Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Herald said, it is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971.

“They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran,” said Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London, co-author of a recent study on US preparations for an attack on Iran. “US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” he added.

According to the newspaper, the preparations were being made by the US military, but it would be up to President Obama to make the final decision. Plesch argued that Obama may decide that it would be better for the US to act instead of Israel.