Gaza rockets put Israel’s nuclear plant in battle zone

[Turborama]

Source: Times Online

Growing concern over Hamas’s new arsenal

James Hider in Beersheba

There were growing fears in Israel last night that Hamas missiles could threaten its top-secret nuclear facility at Dimona.

Rocket attacks from Gaza have forced Israelis to flee in ever greater numbers and military chiefs have been shaken by the size and sophistication of the militant group’s arsenal.

In Beersheba, until a few days ago a sleepy desert town in southern Israel, there is little sign of the 186,000 inhabitants. Schools are closed and the streets of shuttered shops echo with the howl of sirens warning of incoming rockets.

--snip--

Israeli officials say that Hamas has also acquired dozens of Iranian-made Fajr-3 missiles with an even longer range. Many fear that as the group acquires ever more sophisticated weaponry it is only a matter of time before the nuclear installation at Dimona, 20 miles east of Beersheba, falls within its sights. Dimona houses Israel’s only nuclear reactor and is believed to be where nuclear warheads are stored.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east...

[applegrove]

1. That is terrifying. I'm glad I'm neither from the middle east nor am I Obama.

So I can stick my head in the sand on this one and go on my merry way. It really is very frightening.

[ananda]

2. ROFLMAO

T o p .. s e c r e t ?????????????????

[DissedByBush]

3. Secret

[Psephos]

6. Dimona's existence is not top-secret

What goes on inside, is.

Kinda like it's top-secret what goes on in Langley.

[DavidDvorkin]

4. It's a good thing Hamas are the good guys!

I think I read that on DU.

[Moochy]

5. ...

I think you are high.

[sellitman]

7. They never do wrong don't you know.

It's the prevailing feeling here by most.

[Dreamer Tatum]

9. You'd think Israel wouldn't begrudge them their model rocketry, huh?

[DavidDvorkin]

13. Why, after all, Hamas's little rocket boys have only killed a mere handful of Israelis!

Which, according to some DUers, means that they're almost just, like, fooling around.

[Moochy]

24. Some DUers Say...

"Some People Say" that some people who use phrases like, say "according to some DUers" are being weasels.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wor...

[DavidDvorkin]

25. And this DUer says

that any poster who insults me personally gets added to my Ignore list.

Bye bye.

[Moochy]

26. Figures

It figures that someone with your opinion would be quick to use ignore. "...are being weasels" was a ignore-worthy personal insult? What is the average skin thickness of an unladen weasel?

Some duers say.

[stillcool]

10. The 'good' guys?

I so hope the right wing topples the incoming government, and terrifies the shit out of this country, so we can really choose sides.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NutmegYankee]

8. Nice way to wipe out the majority of their fellow Palestinians too.

But hey, what's little details like that when you're batshit crazy?

[L0oniX]

11. So uhm in a way you could say that Hamas is a nuclear threat ...

without actually having a nuke weapon. Nice. But of course we all know that Israel doesn't have nukes huh. Why has Israel refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty? Because they already have nukes.

[bemildred]

12. Hey, they can even nuke themselves to get rid of the nuclear threat. nt

[stillcool]

14. there's plenty for everyone!

Estimated Number of Nuclear Warheads
BBC website, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4504737.stm, May 2, 2005
Source: Arms Control Association 2004


Russia 8,500 (plus 11,000 stockpiled)
United States 7,000 (plus 3,000 stockpiled)
China 420
France 350
UK 200
Israel 75-200
India 45-95
Pakistan 30-50

[Baby Snooks]

15. How many do you need?

How many cities would 8,500 missiles destroy? How many cities would 7,000 missiles destroy? Thanks for the reminder of the madness of nuclear weapons. Certainly gives a better idea of what might happen if Israel were to ever use one of their weapons and Russia decided to just wipe out the West along with Israel. "And the rockets red glare..."

[stillcool]

18. Yeah..and that number is from 2004...

I don't know if they count the cute little smaller ones, that fit in suitcases. I don't know that much about nukes, but you'd think they'd make some that could just take out a village. I guess the after-effects are not so desirable, and if you want the land you kind of screw yourself.

[tclambert]

21. Heard a joke once about nuclear hand grenades:

Makes a crater 200 feet wide. Problem is the average soldier can only throw it 30 feet.

[Regret My New Name]

27. How many alien ships can you destroy with 20,000 nukes?

none... We're screwed either way.

[madrchsod]

16. those rockets would not damage a nuke reactor building

maybe the surrounding buildings but not a harden reactor building

[Indenturedebtor]

19. Which rockets? The ones that destroy regular buildings or the new ones?

Who knows about the new ones they were busy buying through those tunnels...

[tclambert]

22. How about the cooling tower, pumps, coolant lines, etc.?

How well protected is the nuclear waste retention pool? You don't necessarily have to smash through the containment building and break open the reactor core to cause a disaster.

[RCinBrooklyn]

20. Well, well, seems we have TWO dangerous nuclear programs in the region...

The war state is suddenly putting the rest of the region in danger with its SECRET nuclear facility.

[w4rma]

23. Agreed. Now, is it a little more obvious why progressives oppose nuclear power and nukes? (nt)