- TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel
has been urged by leading strategists to plan preemptive strikes against
weapons of mass destruction arsenals in the Middle East.
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- A report, entitled "Israel's Strategic Future,"
asserted that Israel must prevent the formation of an enemy WMD coalition
through such means as conventional preemptive strikes against vital facilities.
The report said the Jewish state has been threatened by a biological or
nuclear first-strike that seeks to exploit Israel's small space and high
population density.
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- "To meet its ultimate deterrence objectives -- that
is, to deter the most overwhelmingly destructive enemy first-strikes --
Israel must seek and achieve a visible second-strike capability to target
approximately 15 enemy cities," the report, presented to Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, said.
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- "Ranges would be to cities in Libya and Iran, and
recognizable nuclear bomb yields would be at a level sufficient to fully
compromise the aggressor's viability as a functioning state. All enemy
targets should be selected with the view that their destruction would promptly
force the enemy to cease all nuclear/biological/chemical exchanges with
Israel."
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- The report called on Israel to operate a multi-layered
ballistic missile defense system as well as establish a second-strike capability.
Such a missile defense should include a Boost Phase Intercept capability
as well as enhanced real-time intelligence acquisition, interpretation
and transmission.
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- Note - The above is not the full news item.
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