Israel might use nuke bunkerbusters to hit Iran nuke facilities

Sunday Times:

ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.

Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear “bunker-busters”, according to several Israeli military sources.

The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb.

Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open “tunnels” into the targets. “Mini-nukes” would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.

“As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished,” said one of the sources.

The plans, disclosed to The Sunday Times last week, have been prompted in part by the Israeli intelligence service Mossad’s assessment that Iran is on the verge of producing enough enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons within two years.

Israeli military commanders believe conventional strikes may no longer be enough to annihilate increasingly well-defended enrichment facilities. Several have been built beneath at least 70ft of concrete and rock. However, the nuclear-tipped bunker-busters would be used only if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States declined to intervene, senior sources said.

Israeli and American officials have met several times to consider military action. Military analysts said the disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, cajole America into action or soften up world opinion in advance of an Israeli attack.

Some analysts warned that Iranian retaliation for such a strike could range from disruption of oil supplies to the West to terrorist attacks against Jewish targets around the world.

...

Israel would focus on three targets. Why they would tell a London newspaper their plans is not explained. If it involves some nuclear game theory to send a message to the Iranians, it is probably a situation they have already considered. I have maintained all along that an attack on Iranian should not be narrowly focused, but should also attack Iran's ability to make war. If Iran responds to the attack as suggested in the story it would give the US an excuse to attack the rest of her war making power and destroy it. Perhaps that is the hidden message in this story. Admiral Fallon would be well equipped to deal with such Iranian retaliation. Destroying Iran's ability to make war would also make their game in Iraq much more difficult and costly. All of the weapons making facilities that have been supplying the enemy should be on such a target list.

It should be pointed out that most countries have contingency plans for attack potential adversaries. The existence of plans should never be read as a present intention to implement them.

Update: AP reports that the Israeli response to the Sunday Times article has ranged from no comment to denial, the latter coming from the Foreign Ministry.

The Strata-Sphere expands on the game theory aspects of the post.