Israeli F-16 Flameout Landing
The Israeli F-16I "Sufa"
A technical failure forced the crew of Israel’s newest fighter, the F-16I “Sufa” (Storm) to land without engine.
The Sufa is built by Lockheed Martin in the U.S. based on Israeli specifications. The bulges above the wings are conformal fuel tanks, which increase internal fuel capacity by 50%. The box on the rear of the fuselage is an advanced electronic warfare systems.
The crew made an emergency landing at the Ramon Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel. No casualties or damage were reported.
View the video here.
In: Military · Tagged with: F-16, Israel
Sanctions won’t stop Iran from nuking up
Matthew Levitt exposes the fact that sanctions won’t stop Iran’s nuclear proliferation. From his testimony to the Senate Comittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs:
…targeted financial sanctions were never intended to solve the problem of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Sanctions are no silver bullet. On their own, these financial tools can only do so much. But coupled with other tools — especially robust diplomacy, but also a credible military presence in the region — financial measures can effectively create leverage for diplomacy. That diplomacy should focus not only on Iran, but on Russia, China, our European and Asian allies, the Gulf States, and others.
Once the full economic and diplomatic weight of the United States is brought to bear on our enemies, we win every time. History shows that sanctions alone do not work. But this new “soft power” of Obama’s is destined to fail. Why on earth would Iran abandon their nuclear program if they know there is nothing to lose and everything to gain? Ayatollah Khamenei will not abandon his nuclear ambitions because some diplomat asked nicely.
According to the [2007 National Intelligence Estimate], Iran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons program in 2003 was “in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure resulting from exposure of Iran’s previously undeclared nuclear work.” The key judgments conclude that the intelligence community’s “assessment that the [nuclear weapons] program probably was halted primarily in response to international pressure suggests Iran may be more vulnerable to influence on the issue that we judged previously.”
What else happened in 2003? It wasn’t some historic moment in diplomatic history, it was the invasion of Iraq. Iran found themselves surrounded by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now Obama is implementing “exit strategies” in both countries, which tells Iran not only that our resolve has run out, but also that we mean Iran no harm. The carrot-and-stick approach has become the carrot-and-carrot. Plus, the UN and Europe can’t be counted on for sanctions as they are only out for themselves, and there is good money in doing business with Iran.
Based on this, I believe that Iran will not only have a nuclear arsenal by the end of this year, but also that our government will do absolutely nothing to stop them. This is about legitimacy: Iran saw China emerge as a superpower – not because of their robust economy, but because of their nuclear arsenal. Iran seeks legitimacy, something that a few nuclear warheads can easily provide.
I also say that Iran will NOT attack Israel as soon as a weapon is ready, because they don’t have to. Iran can move the weapon to Hezbollah, their Lebanese proxy army, who could deploy a nuke into Israel via a tunnel. Iran destroys Israel – and has plausible deniability.
Sanctions alone will not work, as Levitt points out – but apparently they were never intended to.
In: Geopolitics · Tagged with: Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, nuclear weapons
Poland Withdraws from UNIFIL and HAMAS on the market for new MANPADS
LEBANON – A Polish ambassador announced that Poland will withdraw its 450-member force from Lebanon after a Polish officer was arrested by Hezbollah.
On March 28 in Southern Lebanon, a UNIFIL patrol was stopped by armed Hezbollah militants. Hezbollah searched the vehicle, seizing a map and camera, which were handed over to authorities. The Polish officer was arrested and handed over to the Lebanese army.
NOW Lebanon reports that an investigation is underway as to why the captain took pictures without permission from UNIFIL and whether he was spying for Israel.
Poland – who has maintained a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon since 1982 – blames their withdrawal on the global economic downturn. Agence France Press reported that Poland announced their intention to withdraw in February 2009. They are also ending their troop commitments to Chad and the Golan Heights.
GAZA – HAMAS terrorists got a nasty surprise when they tried to shoot down an Israeli helicopter during their 22-day war with Israel in January.
According to The World Tribune, HAMAS had smuggled four American-made Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile systems through Egypt in 2008. When an (American-made) Israeli Apache attack helicopter came under fire by HAMAS, the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system on the Stinger would not allow the gunner to target what the system thought was a friendly target. When the missile was launched, instead of acquiring the helicopter, it picked up the heat signature of a HAMAS machine gun position.
“The Stinger was drawn by the heat of our guns rather than the engines of the Israeli helicopters,” The Tribune‘s source said. “At that point, we stopped using this weapon.”
The source said that HAMAS is now on the market for a Russian-made SA-16.
In: Military, National Security · Tagged with: Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Operation Cast Lead, Poland, UNIFIL
Hamas’ stance on peace with Israel
This is a transcript of the Unto the Breach program. Click here for the audio.
Hillary Clinton is going through her Senate confirmation hearing today for Secretary of State. If I were there, I would love at some point for someone to make this statement: “the statements you have made today really require the willing suspension of disbelief.”
After Clinton’s confirmation, she will have to face the situation in the Middle East. The world is always calling on the Israelis to stop the violence. But telling Israel to stop shooting back isn’t exactly the best path to peace. Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip four years ago. You would think when that happened, Gaza would have settled down and relaxed, maybe even become a productive member of the world society.
But the terrorist group Hamas staged a coup and swept to power through murder and intimidation. While in charge of Gaza, Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel. In fact, more than Nazi Germany fired into Britain during the Blitz. And those countries were fighting World War 2! Gaza is portrayed as the victim of the Israelis, but the Palestinians have only themselves to blame.
In: National Security · Tagged with: Barack Obama, Gaza, Hamas, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Israel, pirates
