The United States has sent the first of what is expected to be a 1 000-strong force to Israel to bolster defences against missile attacks ahead of a possible war in Iraq.
The deployment of the troops and a number of Patriot missile batteries follows Ariel Sharon’s threat to attack Iraq if his country is hit with chemical or biological weapons.
President Bush has sought to prevent Israel embroiling itself in any conflict by assuring Sharon that there will be no repeat of the 1991 Gulf war when Iraq was able to launch 39 missiles against Israel, killing two people, injuring 200 and spreading considerable panic.
But the Israelis are preparing anyway with mass vaccinations against smallpox, simulated chemical attacks, and air raid drills in schools.
”We have taken all the measures necessary to protect the population of Israel. We are ready and prepared for every eventuality. If Israel is attacked, it will know how to protect its citizens,” Sharon said on state television.
Officially, the American troops are in Israel on an exercise called Jennifer Cobra to integrate the Patriots with a new Israeli missile system, the Arrow. The manoeuvres begin next week and last a fortnight.
But once the exercise is over, the US soldiers will remain in Israel until the crisis over Iraq is resolved.
Unlike the previous Gulf war, when the Patriot missile’s effectiveness was wildly exaggerated by the US military, Israel’s first line of defence will be the Arrow – a more advanced missile, but untested in combat. The Patriots, said to be improved, will be used to shoot down Iraqi Scuds.
The Americans also plan to station a destroyer, USS Aegis, off the Israeli coast. Its long-range radar and short-range missiles would provide a third line of defence.
Critics of the government are accusing Sharon of overstating the threat to Israel – with claims that Saddam Hussein has smuggled chemical and biological weapons into neighbouring Syria, and that the Palestinians are preparing a fresh wave of attacks against civilians in support of the Iraqi leader – to distract public attention from a deepening political corruption scandal ahead of next month’s general election.
Sharon’s opponents voice their scepticism in private for fear of being accused of undermining national security, but they scoff at the prime minister’s claims of a greater threat to Israel than during the last Gulf war. US and British diplomats are also sceptical of the claims.
In practice, Israeli officials believe Iraqi Scuds are less likely to strike the Jewish state than in 1991 for a number of reasons. President Saddam has fewer missiles; Israel’s defence system is far more advanced; and, after Sharon warned that he would retaliate against any non-conventional attack, the Americans have made a higher priority of ensuring Israel’s security than during the last conflict.
Israeli officials say the Americans have laid plans for an early attack on western Iraq, the principal launch pad for missiles against Israel.
The director of Israeli military intelligence, Major General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, has noted that Iraq is making far fewer threats against Israel than during the 1991 war.
If an attack does come, Israel’s homefront command says civilians will get a seven-minute warning, twice as long as during the previous Gulf war thanks to new satellite technology. The Israelis say they can also predict a missile’s intended target more accurately.
Civilians will be warned by a siren sounded for one minute across the country. The words ”Iron Wall” will be broadcast repeatedly on radio and television. People will then be expected to put on gas masks and head for public air raid shelters or to sealed rooms they have been encouraged to prepare in their homes. – Guardian Unlimited Â