U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveal that Israel believes
it would have 10-12 minutes’ warning should Iran launch a rocket attack
against the country.
The Norwegian daily Aftenposten published a
cable Monday from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv that discusses a Nov 15,
2009 meeting between an American congressional delegation and Israel’s
military chief.
According to the daily, Gabi Ashkenazi told the
delegation that Iran has 300 Shihab missiles that could reach Israel. He
added that Israel’s biggest threats were the Iranian-backed Hamas
militant group in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has
more than 40,000 rockets that can reach almost any point in Israel.
In
the cable, Ashkenazi is quoted as saying Israel was preparing its army
for a major war in the Middle East. He added that the Israeli army sends
out unmanned planes over Lebanon to identify potential targets.
The
Israeli defense chief said Israel is not able to protect its entire
population despite its anti-missile defense systems. He said 1 million
Israelis could be exposed to missiles that cannot be fought from the
air.
