[Washington Post] Charles Krauthammer - On Sept. 6, something important happened in northern Syria. We do know that Israel carried out an airstrike. How do we know it was important? Because in Israel, where leaking is an art form, even the best-informed don't have a clue. They tell me they have never seen a better-kept secret. Only two countries registered strong protests to the Israeli strike: Turkey and North Korea. What business is this of North Korea's? Unless it was a North Korean facility being hit. The al-Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is training and equipping Shiite extremist militias in the use of the deadliest IEDs and rocketry against American and Iraqi troops. Iran is similarly helping the Taliban to attack NATO forces in Afghanistan. Why is Iran doing this? Because it has its eye on a single prize: the bomb. It needs a bit more time, knowing that once it goes nuclear, it becomes the regional superpower and Persian Gulf hegemon. Iran's assets in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are poised and ready. Ahmadinejad's message is this: If anyone dares attack our nuclear facilities, we will fully activate our proxies, unleashing unrestrained destruction on Israel, moderate Arabs, Iraq and U.S. interests - in addition mining the Strait of Hormuz and causing an acute oil crisis and worldwide recession. This is an extremely high-stakes game. The time window is narrow. In probably less than two years, Ahmadinejad will have the bomb. Which makes it all the more urgent that powerful sanctions be slapped on the Iranian regime.
2007-09-21 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive