Israel at War: Inside the Nuclear Showdown With Iran

by Joel C. Rosenberg

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  Notes

  1 See Joel C. Rosenberg, Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2006 hardcover edition, or Epicenter 2.0, the 2008 softcover updated edition).

  2 “The names of those killed are Maor Harush, 24, and Elior Price, 25, from Acre; Itzik Kolangi, 28, and Amir Menashe, 28, from Petah Tikva; Kochava Shriki, 42, from Rishon Letzion. The sixth victim was the Bulgarian bus driver, Mustafa Kyosov, 36” (Jack Khoury and Chaim Levinson, “Israel Names Five Victims of Bulgaria Terror Attack,” Haaretz, July 19, 2012, http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-names-five-victims-of-bulgaria-terror-attack-1.452308).

  3 See “Bulgarian Bus Attack Is Work of Suicide Bomber, Minister Says,” CNN, July 19, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/europe/bulgaria-israel-blast/index.html; Ilan Ben Zion and Michael Shmulovich, “7 Dead, 3 Critical after Attack on Israeli Tourists in Bulgaria,” Times of Israel, July 18, 2012, http://www.timesofisrael.com/explosion-rocks-israeli-tour-bus-in-bulgaria/; Atara Arbesfeld, “42-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Was Killed in Burgas Terror Attack after Years of Struggling with Infertility,” July 19, 2012, Algemeiner, http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/07/19/42-year-old-pregnant-woman-was-killed-in-burgas-terror-attack-after-years-of-struggling-with-infertility/.

  4 Attila Somfalvi, “PM on Bulgaria Terror Attack: All Signs Point to Iran,” Ynet News, July 18, 2012, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4257558,00.html.

  5 For details about the Beirut bombing and the communications intercept, see Joel C. Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson, and Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009); for more details regarding the “largest non-nuclear explosion” and other elements of Iranian complicity in the Beirut attack, see Hon. Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge, District of Columbia, “Memorandum Opinion” in the case of Plaintiffs v. the Islamic Republic of Iran, http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/09/27/Marine.pdf.

  6 For details about the Khobar Towers bombing, see Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution; for details on the court case, see Neil A. Lewis, “Judge Links Iran to ’96 Attack in Saudi Arabia,” New York Times, December 23, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/world/middleeast/23khobar.html?_r=0.

  7 From the end of “Operation Cast Lead” in January 2009 through September 20, 2012, some 1,097 rockets and mortars had been fired at Israel from Gaza in violation of the cease-fire agreement. See “Palestinian Ceasefire Violations Since the End of Operation Cast Lead,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, September 20, 2012, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Palestinian_ceasefire_violations_since_end_Operation_Cast_Lead.htm.

  8 See “Hamas Leader Praises Iran’s Help in Gaza ‘Victory,’” CNN, February 1, 2009, http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-01/world/iran.hamas_1_rockets-at-southern-israel-gaza-hamas-leader?_s=PM:WORLD.

  9 See “Hamas Official in Tehran Praises Iran’s ‘Limitless Support,’” Daily Star (Lebanon), March 16, 2012, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-16/166822-hamas-official-in-tehran-praises-irans-limitless-support.ashx#axzz28LtGcS8z.

  10 See Gili Cohen and Jonathan Lis, “IDF: Israel in Range of Nearly 65,000 Hezbollah, Iran, Syria Rockets,” Haaretz, May 23, 2012, http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-israel-in-range-of-nearly-65-000-hezbollah-iran-syria-rockets.premium-1.432012; Yossi Melman, “Haaretz WikiLeaks Exclusive / ‘Hezbollah Expected to Launch 100 Missiles a Day at Tel Aviv,’” April 8, 2011, http://www.haaretz.com/news/haaretz-wikileaks-exclusive/haaretz-wikileaks-exclusive-hezbollah-expected-to-launch-100-missiles-a-day-at-tel-aviv-1.354826.

  11 Author’s notes from a conference call with then-former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 12, 2009. The call was organized by One Jerusalem, an organization founded in the fall of 2000 by former Israeli deputy prime minister Natan Sharansky to educate and mobilize grassroots support around the world in defense of Israel and in defense of keeping Jerusalem the undivided, sovereign capital of the Jewish State. (I was working for Mr. Sharansky in 2000 as a communications advisor when One Jerusalem was launched and have worked with Sharansky and his organization on various media projects in the years since.)

  12 See speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN General Assembly’s General Debate, September 27, 2012, http://www.israelemb.org/washington/NewsAndEvents/Pages/Prime-Minister-Netanyahu%27s-Speech-to-the-67th-United-Nations-General-Assembly.aspx; see also Joel C. Rosenberg, “Netanyahu Tells U.N. Iran Could Have Nukes by Spring: Is War Imminent? Analysis” blog column, September 27, 2012, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/netanyahu-tells-u-n-iran-could-have-nukes-by-spring-is-war-imminent/.

  13 See hotel website, http://www.warwickhotelny.com/, accessed on October 9, 2012.

  14 For Carleton quote, see Deepti Hajela, “Ahmadinejad in New York: Protests Surround Iranian President’s Visit,” Associated Press, September 24, 2012, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/ahmadinejad-new-york_n_1901772.html. UANI is a “not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that seeks to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons.” It was founded in 2008 by Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and Middle East expert Dennis Ross. For details about UANI, see http://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/about/mission.

  15 Hajela, “Ahmadinejad in New York,” Associated Press.

  16 Louis Charbonneau, “U.N. Chief Warns Iran’s Ahmadinejad on Fiery Rhetoric,” Reuters, September 23, 2012, http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-chief-warns-irans-ahmadinejad-fiery-rhetoric-002643704.html.

  17 Louis Charbonneau, “In New York, Defiant Ahmadinejad Says Israel Will Be ‘Eliminated,’” Reuters, September 24, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/24/us-un-assembly-ahmadinejad-idUSBRE88N0HF20120924.

  18 “Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the comments to Iran’s state-run Arabic language Al-Alam television. ‘Iran . . . could launch a pre-emptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it,’ Al-Alam said, paraphrasing the military commander. Hajizadeh said any attack on Iranian soil could trigger ‘World War Three.’ ‘We cannot imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America’s support. Therefore, in case of a war, we will get into a war with both of them and we will certainly get into a conflict with American bases,’ he said” (“Iran Could Launch Pre-emptive Israel Strike—Commander,” Reuters, September 23, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/23/us-iran-nuclear-israel-preemptive-idUSBRE88M09C20120923).

  19 Charbonneau, “In New York, Defiant Ahmadinejad Says Israel Will Be ‘Eliminated,’” Reuters.

  20 Dudi Cohen, “Khamenei: Our Enemies Won’t Dare Strike Iran,” Ynet News, July 25, 2012, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4260298,00.html.

  21 Herb Keinon and Joanna Paraszczuk, “Khamenei: Zionist Regime Will Disappear from Map,” Jerusalem Post, August 15, 2012, http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=281366.

  22 “Iran: Israel Won’t Launch ‘Stupid’ Attack,” Agence France Presse, August 14, 2012, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4268339,00.html.

  23 “Iran: Israel Won’t Launch ‘Stupid’ Attack,” Agence France Presse, August 14, 2012, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4268339,00.html.

  24 “Iranian Foreign Minister: ‘Israel Can’t Carry Out Attack’ against Iran,” CBS News, September 18, 2012, http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/09/18/iranian-foreign-minister-israel-cant-carry-out-attack-against-iran/.

  25 See Martin Gould and Kathleen Walter, “Wesley Clark to Newsmax: Israel Will Not Bomb Iran,” Newsmax, September 26, 2012, http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Clark-Israel-bomb-Iran/2012/09/26/id/457708.

  26 See
Mohammed Daraghmeh, “Palestinians Not Worried by Israel-Iran War,” Associated Press, September 19, 2012, http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-not-worried-israel-iran-war-181737046.html.

  27 See http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=285038.

  28 See Boaz Fyler, “Mofaz: Iran Strike in 2012 Unlikely: Kadima Chairman Says Not All Options Have Been Exhausted on Iranian Issues; Blasts PM over War of Words with US,” Ynet News, September 11, 2012, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4280186,00.html.

  29 See http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidblair/100177697/four-reasons-why-israel-probably-wont-attack-iran/.

  30 See http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/new-evidence-that-israel-is-bluffing-about-iran/261187/.

  31 See http://thediplomat.com/2012/08/22/why-israel-wont-attack-iran/.

  32 See http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/03/16/Waters-Netanyahu-Lying-About-Willingness-to-Go-to-War-Alone.

  33 See http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2012/03/benjamin_netanyahu_is_bluffing_about_an_imminent_attack_on_iran_.html.

  34 See http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/02/netanyahu_won_t_attack_iran.

  35 Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel’s Intelligence Community (1990); Friends in Deed: Inside the U.S.–Israel Alliance (1994); and Spies against Armageddon: Inside Israel’s Secret Wars (July 2012).

  36 See Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, “Why Israel Won’t Bomb Iran: At Least until the U.S. Presidential Election, Netanyahu Won’t Risk Angering Obama,” Tablet magazine, July 11, 2012, http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/105880/why-israel-won%e2%80%99t-bomb-iran.

  37 Jeffrey Goldberg, “7 Reasons Why Israel Should Not Attack Iran’s Nuclear Facilities,” The Atlantic, August 11, 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/7-reasons-why-israel-should-not-attack-irans-nuclear-facilities/261028/.

  38 Benzion Netanyahu made the statement in a 1998 interview with David Remnick of The New Yorker in 1998. The quote and article were cited by Douglas Martin, “Benzion Netanyahu, Hawkish Scholar, Dies at 102,” New York Times, April 30, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/world/middleeast/benzion-netanyahu-dies-at-102.html.

  39 In January 2011, Barak made another extraordinary move. He bolted the Labor Party, his own political party, the party of which he was the head. With his departure, he created a new, “centrist” party and pulled a number of allies along with him. His reasons were varied, but part of the equation was that the grassroots members of the Labor Party couldn’t abide Barak’s working so closely with Netanyahu. Barak, however, had forged a close friendship and working relationship with Netanyahu. What’s more, Netanyahu made it clear he needed Barak to continue preparing for a possible massive war with Iran. In the end, the fate of the country and his own relationship with Netanyahu persuaded Barak to leave Labor and stay in the government.

  40 Cited by V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers, pp. 81–82; and by Robin Wright, Sacred Rage, p. 21.

  41 Cited by Hamid Algar, Islam and Revolution: Writings and Declarations of Imam Khomeini, p. 286.

  42 Cited by Kasra Naji, Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran’s Radical Leader, p. 144.

  43 Cited by Kasra Naji, Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran’s Radical Leader, p. 143.

  44 Cited by Kasra Naji, Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran’s Radical Leader, p. 139.

  45 Cited by Alireza Jafarzedeh, The Iran Threat, p. 31.

  46 “Ahmadinejad Says Israel Will Soon Disappear,” Agence France-Presse, June 2, 2008.

  47 “Iran: We Will Help ‘Cut Out the Cancer of Israel,’” London Telegraph, February 3, 2012, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9059179/Iran-We-will-help-cut-out-the-cancer-of-Israel.html.

  48 Joanna Paraszczuk, “Ahmadinejad: World Forces Must Annihilate Israel,” Jerusalem Post, August 2, 2012, http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=279864.

  49 Greg Tepper, “Israel a ‘Cancerous Tumor’ and Middle East’s Biggest Problem, Iranian Supreme Leader Says,” Times of Israel, August 19, 2012, http://www.timesofisrael.com/khamenei-israeli-a-malignant-zionist-tumor/.

  50 See Jeffrey Goldberg, “Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will,” The Atlantic, March 2009, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/03/netanyahu-to-obama-stop-iran-or-i-will/307390/?single_page=true. The story first appeared on the magazine’s website on March 31, 2009, just hours after the interview was conducted.

  51 “Iranian Website: Khamenei Claims He Was Visited by Hidden Imam,” Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), citing the “website of the Supreme Leader (Iran), July 10, 2010” and an Iranian blog that initially noted the story, “www.khaandaniha.com, July 9, 2010.” See http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/28451.htm.

  52 See “Iran’s Supreme Leader Says He Represents Prophet Muhammad on Earth,” Voice of America, July 20, 2010, http://www.voanews.com/content/irans-supreme-leader-says-he-represents-prophet-muhammad-on-earth-98945624/172166.html; also see Joel C. Rosenberg, “Ayatollah Khamenei Says He Represents Muhammad and the Twelfth Imam on Earth,” blog post, July 29, 2010, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/ayatollah-khamenei-says-he-represents-muhammad-and-the-twelfth-imam-on-earth-pre-sales-begin-for-joels-new-novel-the-twelfth-imam-to-be-released-oct-19/.

  53 See Joel C. Rosenberg, “Analysis: Why Is the New Iranian Video about the Soon Coming of the Messiah Significant?” blog post, April 4, 2011, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/analysis-why-is-the-new-iranian-video-about-the-coming-of-the-messiah-significant/. See also Erick Stakelbeck, “Iranian Video Says Mahdi Is ‘Near,’” CBN News, first published March 28, 2011, then updated on April 3, 2011, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/March/Iranian-Regime-Video-Says-Mahdi-is-Near-/. The video was first brought to the attention of the West by Reza Kahlili, a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer who became a double agent for the CIA and eventually defected to and settled in the U.S. See http://atimetobetray.com/blog/a-new-iranian-film-highlights-the-threat-to-israel/.

  54 See Joel C. Rosenberg, “Iran Leader: We Must Prep for the ‘End Times,’” blog post, July 12, 2012, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/iran-leader-we-must-prep-for-the-end-times/. For original article, see Reza Kahlili, “Iran Leader: We Must Prep for ‘End of Times,’” World Net Daily, July 8, 2012, http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/iran-leader-we-must-prep-for-end-of-times/.

  55 See Joel C. Rosenberg, “Exclusive: Ahmadinejad’s End Times Speech to the U.N.: Gives Most Detailed Explanation of Twelfth Imam to Date; Tells U.N. Leaders Mahdi Will ‘Soon’ Reign over World,” blog post, September 26, 2012, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/exclusive-ahmadinejad-gives-most-detailed-explanation-of-twelfth-imam-to-date-says-mahdi-will-soon-reign-over-whole-world/; see also Rosenberg, “Ahmadinejad’s ‘End Times’ Address to U.N.,” World Net Daily, September 26, 2012, http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/ahmadinejads-end-times-address-to-u-n/.

  56 Damascus Countdown is scheduled for release on March 5, 2013.

  57 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, September 27, 2012, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches+by+Israeli+leaders/2012/PM-Netanyahu-addresses-UN-27-Sep-2012.htm.

  58 See Joel C. Rosenberg, “Train Wreck: Netanyahu Heading for U.S. as Israeli Trust in President Obama Plummets,” blog post, November 3, 2009, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/train-wreck-netanyahu-heading-for-u-s-as-israeli-trust-in-the-obama-plummets/.

  59 See Joel C. Rosenberg, “Exclusive: What’s Happening behind Closed Doors in the Obama-Netanyahu Meetings? Netanyahu Stood His Ground,” blog post, March 25, 2010, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/exclusive-whats-happening-behind-closed-doors-in-the-obama-netanyahu-meetings-its-not-good-2/.

  60 See Alister Bull, “Obama Did Not Snub Israeli PM: Axelrod,” Reuters, March 28, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/2
010/03/28/us-usa-israel-idUSTRE62R0NB20100328.

  61 For more, see Michael B. Oren, Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East (New York: Presidio Press, 2002).

  62 See Goldberg, “Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will,” The Atlantic.

  63 Muhammad Sahimi, “Who Murdered Prof. Ali-Mohammadi?” PBS Frontline, Tehran Bureau, January 13, 2010, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/01/who-murdered-prof-ali-mohammadi.html.

  64 Wafa Issa, “Al Mabhouh Killed Hours after Arrival,” The National, February 1, 2010, http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/al-mabhouh-killed-hours-after-arrival.

  65 David E. Sanger and Thom Shanker, “Gates Says U.S. Lacks a Policy to Thwart Iran,” New York Times, April 17, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/middleeast/18iran.html.

  66 Jeffrey Goldberg, “The Point of No Return,” The Atlantic, September 2010, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/09/the-point-of-no-return/308186/?single_page=true. The date of the article is September, but it was posted online in August.