Iran war, a worse case scenario

I read this a few years back and it has always stuck with me.It is a scary appraisal of what could happen in a war between Iran and Israel. Some of the circumstances have changed but I think he is pretty accurate in what would probably happen (probably much worse). This is an article written by Claude Salhani

Four Day War - The Iran/Israel conflagration, a history.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2004
www.amconmag.com...
September 13, 2004 issue
Copyright © 2004 The American Conservative

By Claude Salhani


Day One: Wednesday

In a pre-dawn raid, undisclosed numbers of Israeli warplanes, taking off from military airbases in the Negev, destroy Iran’s main nuclear facility at Bushehr. Israel’s armed forces have released no details, but it is believed the planes flew over parts of Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, refueling in mid-air before reaching their target. Military analysts speculate that the planes must have refueled somewhere over Iraq.

During the one-hour raid, Iran claims to have shot down “several” Israeli fighters. Television images show pilots being lynched by furious mobs before Iranian authorities could reach them. The after-effects of the raid shake the Arab and Islamic world. Millions take to the streets demanding immediate action against Israel.

In planning the attack, Israel weighed the threats of Arab and Muslim reaction. The only other nuclear threat, and a possible danger to Israel, is Pakistan. Israel considered striking Pakistan’s nuclear sites, too, but Indian intelligence reports that Pakistan lacks long-distance delivery for its warheads. Bombay is the farthest they can reach. Additional reassurance from American intelligence convinced Israel that as long as Musharraf remains in power, Pakistan does not represent an imminent threat. The decision was made not to hit Pakistan.

Day Two: Thursday

Believing that Israel would never undertake such actions without U.S. approval, or at least a tacit nod from the American administration, Iran retaliates. Thousands of Revolutionary Guards are dispatched across the border into Iraq with orders to inflict as many casualties on American troops as possible. Fierce clashes erupt between coalition forces and Iranians. Within hours, more than 400 U.S. troops are killed, and many more wounded in heavy fighting. Iranian sleeper agents, who have infiltrated Iraq since the downfall of Saddam, urge Iraqi Shi’ites into action. They cut major highways and harass coalition troops, preventing reinforcements from reaching units under attack. Several helicopters are shot down.

Tehran orders the Lebanese Shi’ite movement, Hezbollah, into action against northern Israel. Hezbollah launches scores of rockets and mortars against kibbutzim, towns, and settlements. Israel retaliates. Casualties are high on both sides of the frontier. Tension in the Middle East reaches a boiling point. In Washington, the Cabinet convenes in an emergency session.

Massive demonstrations erupt all over the Arab and Islamic world. Crowds of gigantic proportions take to the streets, ransacking Israeli embassies in Cairo, Amman, and Ankara. American embassies in a number of other cities are burned. With police overwhelmed, the military is called in. Armies open fire, killing hundreds, adding to the outrage.

Day Three: Friday

Following Friday prayers across the Islamic world, crowds incited by fiery sermons in mosques from Casablanca to Karachi take to the streets in the worst protests yet. Government buildings are ransacked, and clashes with security forces result in greater casualties. Martial law is declared, and curfew imposed, but this fails to prevent further mayhem and rioting. Islamist groups call for the overthrow of governments and for immediate military action against Israel.

In Saudi Arabia, Islamist militants engage in open gun battles with security forces in several cities. The whereabouts of the Saudi royal family are unknown. In Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, and a dozen other countries, crowds continue to run amok, demanding war on Israel.

Day Four: Saturday

A longstanding plan to overthrow Musharraf is carried out by senior Pakistani army officers loyal to the Islamic fundamentalists and with close ties to bin Laden. The coup is carried out in utmost secrecy.

Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI—a long-time supporter of the fundamentalists—in agreement with the plotters, takes control of the country’s nuclear arsenal and its codes. Within hours, and before news of the coup leaks out, Pakistan, now run by pro-bin Laden fundamentalists, loads two nuclear weapons aboard executive Lear jets that take off from a remote military airfield, headed for Tel Aviv and Ashdod. Detouring and refueling in east Africa, they approach Israel from the south. The crafts identify themselves as South African. Their tail markings match the given identification.

The two planes with their deadly cargo are flown by suicide pilots who, armed with false flight plans and posing as business executives, follow the flight path given to them by Israeli air traffic control. At the last moment, however, the planes veer away from the airfield, soar into the sky and dive into the outskirts of the two cities, detonating their nuclear devices in the process.

The rest of this scenario can unfold in a number of ways. Take your pick; none are encouraging.

Israel retaliates against Pakistan, killing millions in the process. Arab governments fall. Following days of violence, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt succumb to Islamist rebels who vow open warfare with Israel. The Middle East regresses into war, with the fighting claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. A much-weakened Israel, now struggling for its very survival, deploys more nuclear weapons, targeting multiple Arab capitals. The Middle East is in complete mayhem, as the United States desperately tries to arrange a cease-fire.

This was all a bad dream, or rather one writer’s dark vision of what might happen if the current situation is allowed to continue unchecked. What precisely are the chances of any of this coming to pass? The probability of Israel striking Iran is very real. That could happen at any moment. As for the rest, there is really no way to know what will ensue once the demons are unleashed. Events could unfold as described above, or they could develop a bit differently, give or take a nuke or two. Whatever the outcome, it will not be good.

The solution is far from evident. Takeyh, the professor of national security studies, notes that in the past where there have been cases of “nuclear reversal,” such as in South Africa, it has happened due to a change in the region’s strategic environment.

The Middle East hardly falls into that category. Iran is unlikely to give up its nuclear deterrence as long as Israel remains a nuclear power. Israel is unlikely to cede its nuclear capability as long as it feels threatened by the Arab/Islamic world and as long as Pakistan holds on to its bomb. Pakistan, of course, points to India, also a nuclear power. India looks at Pakistan and across the Himalayas and sees nuclear-armed China and says it would never give up its cherished membership to the elite nuclear club.

In his campaign stops, President Bush keeps reiterating that the world is a safer place because of his actions. Yet looking at the state of world affairs it is very difficult to agree with him. The dead-ended Mideast peace talks, Saudi Arabia’s internal turmoil, continuing Islamist terrorist threats, the vulnerability of American troops in Iraq, and the question of Iran’s nukes all contribute to maintaining tensions at an all-time high.Barring a solid and lasting peace settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the countries of the Middle East are far from nuclear disarmament. If anything, nuclear proliferation is only likely to increase as states like Saudi Arabia find that they, too, need to defend themselves against a nuclear-armed Iran. Recent reports have indicated that Saudi Arabia is looking to lease Pakistan’s nukes. The arms race of the Cold War may be dead, but the race for hot weapons has never been so alive.

Everything comes arounf full circle. What was in the past shall be in the future.

Well-at least a lot of those factors have changed!!

If this war with Iran eventuates and I suspect it may, it is not about Iran. The idea is to provoke Iran into a nuclear strike on Israel in which the west will hit back at Iran. The idea then is for China to come to Iran's aid. China in the real target. The US and Briitian will then strike China after which a truce will be struck. This truce will then be followed up by biological weapons and most of China's population will be wiped out and also that of India.

China threathen's the power and influence of families that have have exerted strong inlflence over western government decisions since the industrial revolution and they are not about to be threathend by a new kid on the block, China.

Read an article on Project Camelot called The Anglo Saxon Mission. Its all laid out in that article

That makes for quite a read. I'm not sure which is worse? Is it the fact this scenario is all to easy to see happen in the coming days or weeks with a few time related adjustments? Or is it more the fact this was written in 2004 and still sits as a largely accurate and viable scenario so many years later? This sure makes a statement for how little we have really accomplished over there in those years, doesn't it?

Originally posted by princeofpeace
Well-at least a lot of those factors have changed!!

Not by much my friend...not by much. Although I feel Iran's reaction would be more I dunno......volatile than whats suggested here.

If any strike came about however, I think Iran would simply use their missiles before anything else.

A worse case senario is if they start anything at all,it will not end well regardless of limited strike/full scale attack etc.

When I question why Israel was created to begin with, I'm faced with what could be it's ultimate fate. I know this wasn't foreseeable. Maybe it's the true intention. People are crazy.

reply to post by openminded2011


Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.

Another "if Iran does this, or If Israel does that post." As well with the the " What will Amercica do?" thrown in.

If it happens, it happens...but Iran will pay the overall price. They will be lucky to be another Iraq once it is over with.

No one will win in the long run...

the days of unconditional surrender are over.

reply to post by openminded2011


This brings to mind one of my previous threads.

If such a scenario were to happen...would wiping out the Islamic peoples finally bring peace? Is genocide really worth it?

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by openminded2011

 

This brings to mind one of my previous threads.

If such a scenario were to happen...would wiping out the Islamic peoples finally bring peace? Is genocide really worth it?

Yes, sadly I think you may be right. Nothing will change radical islam but completely and unequivocally wiping it off the face of the planet. Once it is wiped out, it will then need to be made illegal.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy New Year.

the world will be in peace once the real agressors are destroyed, you already know who are they. , this year the people has the power to avoid the greatest war of all. we can't let the war happen. we must think about the future generations

Originally posted by lnfidel

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by openminded2011

 

This brings to mind one of my previous threads.

If such a scenario were to happen...would wiping out the Islamic peoples finally bring peace? Is genocide really worth it?

Yes, sadly I think you may be right. Nothing will change radical islam but completely and unequivocally wiping it off the face of the planet. Once it is wiped out, it will then need to be made illegal.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy New Year.

I see your two cents and raise ya four. Whenever one group is eliminated, another will eventually rise. That is the way of humanity.

Genocide is NEVER the answer. We need to become advocates of humanity instead of just this group or that. The crux of the worlds problem is that you have groups out there who think they have more right to exist than other groups. Its that one human flaw that is the root cause of the worlds problems. The reptilian part of our brains must be brought under control.