The phantom strike that was - or was not. Or was it?

[Skybird]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6991718.stm

I tried to follow this news in medias, but found it almost useless to try, since nobody seem to have any substantial information at all. Unusual.

[bookworm_020]

A simlar story in The Australian newspaper

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22408053-2703,00.html

[Tchocky]

I spotted it on the BBC NEws site a couple of days ago. A sentence tucked into the article about Israeli planes "deploying ordnance", and the headline "Syria fires on Israeli planes". Something like that.

[joea]

From Skybird's link:

One, cited by the New York Times newspaper quoting a US source, suggests that the attack was in some way linked to North Korea.
The former US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, raised the possibility that Syria is sheltering technology or materials relating to North Korea's nuclear programme.


:hmm: ... so the IAF destroyed the giant Mech sent by Kim Jong Il to Syria?

[Tchocky]

Another, it seems

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7001006.stm

headline is a bit of a mess, though.

[Skybird]

It seems - not. no strike, no raid, probably only recce, and warning-by-presence. It's a good idea to keep a very close eye on Hezbullah in Lebanon. It also does not compare by aim, scale and secrecy of the operations.

[The Avon Lady]

I think this thread and this one (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=122142) need to be merged.

UPDATE:
It seems - not. no strike, no raid, probably only recce, and warning-by-presence. It's a good idea to keep a very close eye on Hezbullah in Lebanon. It also does not compare by aim, scale and secrecy of the operations.
Everything seems to indicate that something was hit. Syria's silence is deafening.

[Skybird]

I think this thread and this one (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=122142) need to be merged.

UPDATE:
It seems - not. no strike, no raid, probably only recce, and warning-by-presence. It's a good idea to keep a very close eye on Hezbullah in Lebanon. It also does not compare by aim, scale and secrecy of the operations.
Everything seems to indicate that something was hit. Syria's silence is deafening.
I was referring to the Lebanon overflight. I did not follow it closely, but the two or three reports I read about it had no word on "something was hit". The BBC report Tchocky quoted, also does not mention any attack.

[The Avon Lady]

I think this thread and this one (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=122142) need to be merged.

UPDATE:
It seems - not. no strike, no raid, probably only recce, and warning-by-presence. It's a good idea to keep a very close eye on Hezbullah in Lebanon. It also does not compare by aim, scale and secrecy of the operations.
Everything seems to indicate that something was hit. Syria's silence is deafening.
I was referring to the Lebanon overflight. I did not follow it closely, but the two or three reports I read about it had no word on "something was hit". The BBC report Tchocky quoted, also does not mention any attack.
This thread's leading story is a week old already. It seems like it was more than an overflight and it was over Syria, not Lebanon.

Tocky's link is to yesterday IAF flyover Sidon. I didn't realize that the thread had switched to a different event.

Definitely recon. The UN is useless. Hizba'allah has snuck back in terrorists, weapons and missiles run under the blue turtle's noses.

[Fish]

If there was nothing happening why did NK complain?

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411514513&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands" in Syria called the claims of an Israeli air strike "lies and fabrications", AFP reported on Sunday.

Center officials denied the reports and said that after they had seen pictures of the center in newspapers, they realized that the alleged strike was supposedly carried out in one of their abandoned sites. An official message by the center read: "We were astonished by reports of an Israeli strike on one of our centers. The reports about the center in the Zionist press are lies and fabrications."

[The Avon Lady]

Also, why did it take weeks for Syria to say this was all nonsense?

[Tchocky]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7024287.stm

[waste gate]

Has anyone brought up the poor showing that the state-of-the-art Russian air defence provided Syria? If nothing else this should act as a deterent.

What other country purchased the state-of-the-art Russian air defence? How do you think they feel now?

[baggygreen]

I hadnt even thought of that WG.

Unless its a big conspiracy and the Syrians never turned on their russian equipment because they were forewarned...:hmm:

[Tchocky]

I thought Russia only sold MANPADs to Syria?

I mean, they'll still knock down a plane, but they're no S-400 :)

[Skybird]

A beam from a flashlight inside the dark tunnel...

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a2710d024-5eda-416c-b117-ae6d649146cd

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/noys/noys_story.jsp?id=news/02145p04.xml

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070207/60358702.html

NATO-member Greece also has bought the Russian Tor system, so one can assume that it's technical specs are known to America - and by that, to Israel as well.

While all this shed some light on HOW they did it, it remains rumour and speculation WHY they did it, and WHAT they hit - if the target really was the goal of this mission, and practicing was not the only intention here.

[The Avon Lady]

The latest from Israel Matzav (http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2007/10/state-v-neocons-redux-on-syria-and.html).

[waste gate]

Now we know? No suprise

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog did not know about any undeclared atomic plant in Syria and has asked Damascus about information that such a site was targeted by an Israeli air strike, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Citing unidentified U.S. and foreign officials with access to intelligence reports, the New York Times said on Sunday the nuclear reactor was partially built and apparently modeled on one in North Korea used for stockpiling atomic bomb fuel.

The New York Times said the targeted Syrian facility appeared to have been much further from completion than an Iraqi reactor the Israeli air force flattened in 1981.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071015/wl_nm/nuclear_syria_iaea_dc_2

[The Avon Lady]

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog
Lead by the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei.

I wish I could laugh.

[Camaero]

Now we know? No suprise

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog did not know about any undeclared atomic plant in Syria and has asked Damascus about information that such a site was targeted by an Israeli air strike, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Citing unidentified U.S. and foreign officials with access to intelligence reports, the New York Times said on Sunday the nuclear reactor was partially built and apparently modeled on one in North Korea used for stockpiling atomic bomb fuel.

The New York Times said the targeted Syrian facility appeared to have been much further from completion than an Iraqi reactor the Israeli air force flattened in 1981.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071015/wl_nm/nuclear_syria_iaea_dc_2


Jeez something like that going down and all I have seen on the news is STILL about Anna Nicole. :nope:

[The Avon Lady]

I think the latest news give a pretty definitive and final clarification as to what happened weeks ago:

Official: Air Attack Targeted Nascent Nuclear Facility Built With North Korean 'Expertise' (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3752687&page=1)

The article is 2 pages long. Click there on NEXT at the bottom for page 2.

Note the mention of the State Dept's and the Bush Admin's "confront not attack" strategy.

[waste gate]

Before and after photos.



http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/10/25/PH2007102502100.jpg

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/10/25/PH2007102502100.jpg