Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A senior Iranian military official said Wednesday that his country had drawn up plans to launch airstrikes against Israel in case of war between the two countries, according to an interview published by an Iranian news agency.
Gen. Mohammed Alavi, a deputy commander in the Iranian air force, told the semiofficial Fars News Agency that his country could attack Israel with long-range missiles as well as fighter planes in case of war between the two countries.
Israeli and U.S. officials have threatened the possibility of pre-emptive attacks on Iran to block it from obtaining advanced nuclear technology that could be used to build atomic weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is meant to augment civilian energy needs.
Military analysts say Iran could retaliate against any U.S. or Israeli air raids by hitting targets in the Persian Gulf, disrupting oil flows or launching attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Alavi said an Israeli attack on Iran would prompt retaliation against Israel.
“Such a plan is not just a hollow threat, and we do everything on the basis of correct and precise planning, and we have gained the needed readiness,” Alavi said, according to the news agency.
Alavi added that he didn’t think Israel would attack Iran. But he maintained that Iran had sophisticated air defense systems to counter fighter jets and cruise missiles, and that any enemy air force would lose 30 percent of its fighters during any air operation.
Israel is less than 600 miles from Iran’s western edge. Iran’s Shahab-class missiles, based on a North Korean design, easily could reach Israeli territory, military experts say.
The international diplomatic row over Iran’s nuclear program has heightened over French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s remarks this week warning that the world should prepare for the possibility of war with Iran. He was chastened by International Atomic Energy Association chief Mohamed ElBaradei, as well as by his counterpart in Russia, who strongly oppose military action against Iran, and subsequently softened his rhetoric.
Newspapers in the area’s pro-U.S. monarchies chastised Kouchner and warned that any U.S. or Israeli attack on the region would be disastrous.
