(Ha'aretz) Ze'ev Schiff - Hardly a day goes by without some Iranian security official threatening Israel. Officials in Tehran say their Shihab-3 missile is intended to counter the Israeli Arrow. This is strange since the Arrow is a defensive anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept missiles like the Shihab. Diverting the focus to Israel is an attempt to draw attention away from the fact that for the first time Iran, using the Shihab-3, has missiles that can reach NATO member Turkey and most Saudi cities and oil fields. From Israel's point of view, this is more than a struggle to prevent a fanatic religious regime that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state from obtaining nuclear weapons. That regime is also involved in financing acts of terror against Israel and the establishment of extensive rocket systems by the Hizballah in southern Lebanon. Today Israel is not alone in this struggle, and is part of an international front which, although not united, also opposes the nuclear arming of Iran.
2004-08-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive