The Cabinet held a special meeting this morning on the eve of the anticipated American-Iraqi war. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said beforehand that he was convening the Cabinet "in order to update ministers, and hear their opinions, about our preparations for the war in Iraq." He repeated the Israeli assessment that "the chance that Israel will be hit is very small; however, we have taken all necessary precautions. If we assume that the chance of being hit is one in a hundred, our preparations provide a response to 100% of the dangers. All the relevant bodies have invested considerable effort in this."
While emphasizing that Israel is not involved in the war, Sharon said, "We of course recognize the great danger inherent in the fact that a country like Iraq, with its current leadership and its weapons of mass destruction, is involved in terror." He said that it is "very likely that there will be attempts to perpetrate terrorist attacks," and, "our struggle against terror will continue."
Israeli evaluations are that the American attack will begin tomorrow, shortly after the expiration of the 48-hour ultimatum at 3 AM Thursday morning (8 PM EST). The ongoing sandstorms in Iraq and Kuwait may cause a delay, however. Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash, head of IDF intelligence, told the Cabinet today that Saddam Hussein is not likely to attempt a strike against Israel before the American assault, so as not to lose his image as the victim of US aggression. Farkash also said that there are no Iraqi aircraft in western Iraq airports.
While emphasizing that Israel is not involved in the war, Sharon said, "We of course recognize the great danger inherent in the fact that a country like Iraq, with its current leadership and its weapons of mass destruction, is involved in terror." He said that it is "very likely that there will be attempts to perpetrate terrorist attacks," and, "our struggle against terror will continue."
Israeli evaluations are that the American attack will begin tomorrow, shortly after the expiration of the 48-hour ultimatum at 3 AM Thursday morning (8 PM EST). The ongoing sandstorms in Iraq and Kuwait may cause a delay, however. Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash, head of IDF intelligence, told the Cabinet today that Saddam Hussein is not likely to attempt a strike against Israel before the American assault, so as not to lose his image as the victim of US aggression. Farkash also said that there are no Iraqi aircraft in western Iraq airports.