The Real Reason Israel Kills Iranian Nuclear Scientists?

[Purveyor]

With yet another Iranian nuclear scientist freshly assassinated--presumably by Israel--Jeffrey Goldberg asks a good question: Why is Israel doing this?

Goldberg thinks the most common answers are less than compelling. It's unlikely, he says, that "Iranian nuclear knowledge is so concentrated in the minds of a few scientists" that these killings are a major setback to the nuclear program. And he doubts that the killings will scare much Iranian talent out of the nuclear science business, since the Iranian government wouldn't tolerate such an exodus.

But there's a third option that Goldberg doesn't consider: Israel is trying to start a war with Iran. The more Iranian scientists it kills (and the more missile testing facilities it blows up), the more likely Iran is to retaliate. And things have a way of escalating, which would pave the way for military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Obviously, Israel could bomb Iran's facilities even without such escalation. But escalation offers two advantages:

1) Israel gets less blame, because it isn't accused of starting things. Of course, from Iran's point of view, Israel did start things by assassinating Iranians and blowing up Iranian stuff. But whether assassinating foreigners is bad depends on your point of view. In the eyes of the west and especially the United States, it's terrorism when Iran does it but not when Israel or America does it.

MORE...

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/the-real-reason-israel-kills-iranian-nuclear-scientists/251271/

[ellisonz]

1. Israel is not trying to start a war with Iran.

They are trying to stop Iran from starting a war with Israel...

[Hugabear]

2. And carrying out assassinations and cyber-attacks is a good way to do that?

Seems rather odd to me...

[King_David]

3. You think the Cyberattacks were wrong?

They were very successful in slowing down irans pet project .. Non violently.

Who could possibly object ?

Stuxnet creators deserve a prize.

[hang a left]

6. Oh noes

You did not say that....

Damn just checked again and found that you did!

I do not want my post deleted so I will just say....

"Are you friggin on something?"

[ellisonz]

10. I'm high on hopechange.

I have no interest in seeing Iran with a nuclear weapon...They will use it as a shield to destabilize the Persian Gulf and Middle East at large. I think this is a better way of slowing them down to buy time for something to happen internally in Iran. It's not like the Iranian people love living in a theocracy. It's an expedient means.

[shira]

11. Funny how slowing down Iran and buying more time isn't given as a possible reason....

....for Israel killing these scientists, if Israel is behind it at all.

Just another whackjob baseless conspiracy theory.

[vminfla]

12. Funny how no one brings up that these scientists are members of Iran's opposition party

Looks like an internal matter.

[ellisonz]

13. The end result is the same.

Down with the Mullahs.

[vminfla]

4. I would have sworn that this was a Richard Silverstein article by the title

Just throw out the innuendo and accusation with no evidence -- "Of course the Israelis did this --- they are joos!"

[aranthus]

5. Two things people might want to look up.

The Rockets of Helwan, and Operation Damocles.

Helwan is a city in Egypt where an aircraft manufacturing facility is located. See, Helwan HA-300 at Wikipedia for a prototype Egyptian jet. In the early 1960's the Egyptians used the faciltiy to house German engineers who were designing a missile system for the Egyptians. The Israelis either assumed or were able to learn that the Egyptians planned to develope chemical warheads for the missiles, which could devastate the Israeli population. In response the Israelis set up Operation Damocles. This was a campaign of harrassment and assasination of the German engineers.

A few points follow from this. First, Israel has a pattern of reacting to this type of existential threat in this way. Second, the Israelis weren't trying to provoke the Egyptians in 1962, and they aren't here. Third, even if they were, the Egyptians didn't rise to the bait and neither will the Iranians. Fourth, Israel wasn't escalating anything in 1962 and it isn't now. It was Egypt, and now Iran, who escalated the situation by attempting to obtain WMD. Fifth, the US has never become actively involved in any of Israel's wars, and it isn't going to start now. The only thing that could involve the US is maybe if the Iranians closed the Hormuz. So guess what is the one thing they absolutely won't do if it is just Israel that attacks? Sixth it isn't more likely that the US would be involved if Israel were responding to, let's say, an Iranian terror attack by lauching an all out air attack on Iran. It would still be a major escalation on Israel's part, and the US would have none of it.

I realize this guy has to fill space in a magazine, but it might be easier for him next time if he just prints a picture of a turd.

On a side note, the Rockets of Helwan served as background for the novel and movie "The Odessa File," both of which are pretty good.

[hang a left]

7. Please put down the glue and step back!,

You cannot be serious! Are you married to Colbert?? They have a permanent woodie re Iran. heck, they called Dr. Mishman after four hours, and he said "Don't trip". swear to gawd, heard it with my own ears.

In error i responded to the wrong post. my statement was directed at post number 1

[hang a left]

8. Oooooooops

I responded to the wrong post. So so sorry!

[aranthus]

9. Not a problem. Happens to everyone. n/t