Countdown Iran » IDF

Israel’s Military Intel Chief: Iran Continues With Nuclear Program

C.I. — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:05:59 +0000

JAN. 19 – “Iran has hindered the dialogue (with the West) and the international community is preparing to use sanctions against it,” said Israel’s military intelligence chief, Major-General Amos Yadlin, in testimony today before the Israeli Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “However, currently while Iran isn’t under heavy pressure, it sees no need to forego its core issue. It continues to advance with its nuclear program,” he said. See reports in Ynetnews and Haaretz.

Reuters: Israel in Talks to Buy 6th Submarine From Germany

C.I. — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:53:07 +0000

JAN. 15 – According to Reuters, Israel is broaching the idea of buying a sixth discounted submarine from Germany as part of a military buildup designed to signal strength in the face of Iranian nuclear ambitions.

Israel to Begin Distributing Gas Masks

C.I. — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:36:15 +0000

JAN. 6 – Next month, Israel plans to begin distributing gask masks and protection kits to its citizens. See report in today’s Haaretz.

On IDF Military Preparedness

C.I. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:49:21 +0000

Ron Ben Yishai, the respected Israeli commentator on defense and national security for the Israeli news site, YNET, recently authored a piece titled, “IDF Promises Full Military Preparedness.” He discusses his article in this broadcast.

Israel to Test Emergency Radio Broadcasts

C.I. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:48:53 +0000

JAN. 5 – Israel’s Homefront Command has announced a test of its emergency broadcast system on local radio stations. During tomorrow’s early morning hours of Jan. 6, listeners will hear 10-second announcements informing them of emergency sirens sounding in their respective listening areas.

Next Week: Simulated Bio Attack Drill in Tel Aviv

C.I. — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:00:41 +0000

JAN 4 – Israel’s Defense Ministry has announced a large-scale, simulated attack drill to take place in Tel Aviv, next week.

Israel’s various emergency services will coordinate a “response” to a biological attack involving more than 1,000 victims.

See report in today’s Haaretz about the planned simulation.

Israel’s Channel 10: IDF Retrofits Old Airplanes, Creates Aerial Tankers for Mid-Air Refueling

C.I. — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:50:29 +0000

JAN. 3 – Israel Channel 10 Military Affairs correspondent Alon Ben David reports that the Israeli Air Force has successfully retrofitted decades-old Boeing 707 airplanes, essentially turning them into aerial tankers for refueling Israeli F-15’s.

Covering an air force drill and broadcasting pictures of a mid-air refueling, Ben David showed the interior of an old Boeing aircraft, with its passenger seats replaced with fuel tanks.

Ben David notes that IDF officials don’t mention a word of Iran in their briefings. But the implication is clear, he says. Successul mid-air refueling is critical for any long-range IDF mission, a mission, he says, which could be put to the test in the future if sanctions against Iran fail to stem Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon.

On IDF Military Preparedness

C.I. — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:46:10 +0000

JAN. 2 – Ron Ben Yishai, the military correspondent for the Israeli news site, YNET, has authored a column titled “IDF Promises Full Military Preparedness.”

While Ben Yishai notes that Israeli censorship forbids the publication of specific data pointing to the extent of Israel’s military readiness, the number of training hours and practice drills involving Israel’s air force “is virtually unprecedented.”