Israel's latest weekly security briefing on the Iraqi issue, overseen by Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer this past Thursday, concluded that Iraq was currently not seriously considering firing missiles at Israel. It was felt that Saddam Hussein would attack Israel head-on only if he felt he had nothing left to lose. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon expressed confidence over the weekend in Israel’s deterrent capabilities, and said that he "loses no sleep" over the Iraqi situation.
The New York Times reports that Israel has deployed its Arrow anti-missile missile system to protect against an Iraqi strike on the country’s major population centers. The paper states that one battery is already in place somewhere in the center of the country, while two others are in the preparation phase. The Arrow missile is an improvement over the American Patriot missile, which was originally designed to shoot down airplanes, yet was used by Israel during the Gulf War to intercept Scud missiles. The Arrow, on the other hand, was specifically built for intercepting ballistic missiles, and is also capable of destroying Scuds at a much higher altitude than a Patriot.
Military analysts say that reports that Saddam Hussein has begun deploying his Republican Guard forces in Baghdad indicate his fear that his regime is in imminent danger of collapse.
The New York Times reports that Israel has deployed its Arrow anti-missile missile system to protect against an Iraqi strike on the country’s major population centers. The paper states that one battery is already in place somewhere in the center of the country, while two others are in the preparation phase. The Arrow missile is an improvement over the American Patriot missile, which was originally designed to shoot down airplanes, yet was used by Israel during the Gulf War to intercept Scud missiles. The Arrow, on the other hand, was specifically built for intercepting ballistic missiles, and is also capable of destroying Scuds at a much higher altitude than a Patriot.
Military analysts say that reports that Saddam Hussein has begun deploying his Republican Guard forces in Baghdad indicate his fear that his regime is in imminent danger of collapse.