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The Nuclear Secrets of the Yom Kippur War

(Ynet News) Ronen Bergman - In 1973, American intelligence confirmed, through Blackbird reconnaissance and satellite imagery, that Egypt had deployed several Scud missiles in the Nile Delta that could reach deep into Israel. American analysts concluded that the Soviet vehicles used to deploy the missiles were the same kind used for launching nuclear-tipped missiles. "The Americans told us, 'What you're seeing here is essentially a Scud unit with nuclear warheads'," recounted Prof. Yuval Ne'eman, a special advisor to the IDF chief of staff. In response, IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar "ordered the deployment of the Jericho missiles" to create the impression that they are nuclear-tipped, Ne'eman wrote, "and requested that they be positioned so that they could be clearly seen in satellite images" by the Russians. However, instead of becoming alarmed and advising the Egyptians not to use their Scud missiles, the Soviets interpreted the Israeli maneuvers as preparations for an attack. American intelligence intercepted Red Army orders to the commander of a strategic missile brigade near Kyiv to prepare to launch 12 missiles targeted at Israel's Ramat David airbase, the nuclear reactor in Dimona, and the oil refineries in Haifa.
2023-10-05 00:00:00
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