- The United States has sent the first of what is expected
to be a 1,000-strong force to Israel to bolster defences against missile
attacks ahead of a possible war in Iraq.
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- The deployment of the troops and a number of Patriot
missile batteries follows Ariel Sharon's threat to attack Iraq if his country
is hit with chemical or biological weapons.
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- President Bush has sought to prevent Israel embroiling
itself in any conflict by assuring Mr Sharon that there will be no repeat
of the 1991 Gulf war when Iraq was able to launch 39 missiles against Israel,
killing two people, injuring 200 and spreading considerable panic.
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- But the Israelis are preparing anyway with mass vaccinations
against smallpox, simulated chemical attacks, and air raid drills in schools.
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- "We have taken all the measures necessary to protect
the population of Israel. We are ready and prepared for every eventuality.
If Israel is attacked, it will know how to protect its citizens,"
Mr Sharon said on state television.
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- Officially, the American troops are in Israel on an exercise
called Jennifer Cobra to integrate the Patriots with a new Israeli missile
system, the Arrow. The manoeuvres begin next week and last a fortnight.
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- But once the exercise is over, the US soldiers will remain
in Israel until the crisis over Iraq is resolved.
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- Unlike the previous Gulf war, when the Patriot missile's
effectiveness was wildly exaggerated by the US military, Israel's first
line of defence will be the Arrow - a more advanced missile, but untested
in combat. The Patriots, said to be improved, will be used to shoot down
Iraqi Scuds.
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- The Americans also plan to station a destroyer, USS Aegis,
off the Israeli coast. Its long-range radar and short-range missiles would
provide a third line of defence.
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- Critics of the government are accusing Mr Sharon of overstating
the threat to Israel - with claims that Saddam Hussein has smuggled chemical
and biological weapons into neighbouring Syria, and that the Palestinians
are preparing a fresh wave of attacks against civilians in support of the
Iraqi leader - to distract public attention from a deepening political
corruption scandal ahead of next month's general election.
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- Mr Sharon's opponents voice their scepticism in private
for fear of being accused of undermining national security, but they scoff
at the prime minister's claims of a greater threat to Israel than during
the last Gulf war. US and British diplomats are also sceptical of the claims.
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- In practice, Israeli officials believe Iraqi Scuds are
less likely to strike the Jewish state than in 1991 for a number of reasons.
President Saddam has fewer missiles; Israel's defence system is far more
advanced; and, after Mr Sharon warned that he would retaliate against any
non-conventional attack, the Americans have made a higher priority of ensuring
Israel's security than during the last conflict.
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- Israeli officials say the Americans have laid plans for
an early attack on western Iraq, the principal launch pad for missiles
against Israel.
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- The director of Israeli military intelligence, Major
General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, has noted that Iraq is making far fewer threats
against Israel than during the 1991 war.
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- If an attack does come, Israel's homefront command says
civilians will get a seven-minute warning, twice as long as during the
previous Gulf war thanks to new satellite technology. The Israelis say
they can also predict a missile's intended target more accurately.
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- Civilians will be warned by a siren sounded for one minute
across the country. The words "Iron Wall" will be broadcast repeatedly
on radio and television. People will then be expected to put on gas masks
and head for public air raid shelters or to sealed rooms they have been
encouraged to prepare in their homes.
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- Palestinians attacked the Jewish settlement of Otniel
in the West Bank yesterday, killing four people and wounding eight others.
One of the attackers was also killed.
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