Israel To Get 3 Days Notice Of Iraq Strike

Israel expects to receive 72 hours notice from the United States in advance of any U.S. military action against Iraq, according to a newspaper report Sunday that detailed a series of cooperative measures between the two countries.

Israel's largest circulation daily, Yediot Ahronot, said the Americans would also provide up-to-the-minute satellite information that should detect the launch of any Iraqi Scud missiles headed toward Israel.

Iraq fired 39 missiles into Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, and Israel says it is much better equipped now that it has deployed the Arrow missile defense system, which has been developed with the United States assistance.

The United States also plans to stockpile military equipment and spare parts at Israeli military bases, for possible use in a U.S. campaign against Iraq, the newspaper said, without citing any sources.

In the early stages of any U.S. assault, American forces are expected to carry out an intensive search in Iraq's western desert, the launching site for any Scud missiles directed at Israel, the newspaper added.

"I'm not losing any sleep over the Iraqi threat since over the last decade, a significant gap has opened between Iraqi and Israeli capability," the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon. "Of course, any Iraqi initiative against Israel will require that Israel defend itself."

As part of the close cooperation between the two countries, the United States has said it will inform Israel three days before any attack against Iraq, the newspaper said.

Israeli officials did not return calls requesting comment on the report Sunday.

Israeli officials have been speaking out daily on possible scenarios involving U.S. military action against Iraq. U.S. President George W. Bush said the United States is would be prepared to strike Iraq and oust President Saddam Hussein if he refuses to allow United Nations inspectors to return to the country and search freely for weapons of mass destruction.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said last week he believed a U.S. attack was likely around the end of November.

President Bush warned on Saturday that Saddam could strike without notice and inflict "massive and sudden horror" on America, offering a new rationale for pre-emptive military action against Iraq.

In the run-up to key congressional votes on war-making authority, Mr. Bush promised in the clearest terms yet to rebuild Iraq after a war. He also said the Iraqi president has a "horrible history" of attacking his enemies first.

"We cannot ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American," Mr. Bush told hundreds of cheering police and National Guardsmen in New Hampshire.

The president warned in his weekly radio address Saturday of the "massive and sudden horror" Iraq could inflict if it isn't disarmed.

"The regime is guilty of beginning two wars. It has a horrible history of striking without warning," he said. "We hope that Iraq complies with the world's demands. If, however, the Iraqi regime persists in its defiance, the use of force may become unavoidable. Delay, indecision, and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror."

Though CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller says some lawmakers are portraying the president as being "hell-bent" on going to war with Iraq, Mr. Bush was careful to balance his aggressive radio language with a section calling war a last resort.

"The United States does not desire military conflict, because we know the awful nature of war," he said. "Our country values life, and we will never seek war unless it is essential to security and justice."

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to travel to Washington to meet with Bush on Oct. 16 for discussions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and possible U.S. action in Iraq.

At the request of the United States, Israel refrained from responding to the Iraqi missiles in the Gulf War. The Americans feared an Israeli response could have fractured the U.S.-led coalition, which included many Arab states.

In that conflict, the U.S.-built Patriot missile defense system had only limited success in combatting incoming Iraqi missiles. To better protect itself, Israel has since developed and deployed an Arrow missile defense battery at the Palmachim Air Force Bast, south of Tel Aviv.

The system would protect Tel Aviv, Israel's largest metropolis, and surrounding areas. Israel has said it intends to deploy a nationwide missile defense system in the coming years.

However, plans to deploy a second Arrow battery in the central part of the country have been slowed in part by protesters who did not want it near their homes, fearing a radar system used in tandem with the missiles could pose health risks.

The Arrow is designed to intercept and destroy a Scud missile at high altitudes early in its flight, before it reaches Israeli territory. In contrast, the Patriot can only knock out an incoming missile near the end of its flight.

The head of Israeli military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, told Israeli television he didn't expect Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to use missiles against Israel at the start of an American offensive. But he said Saddam might use rockets or aircraft to deliver chemical or biological weapons if he feels cornered.

"If Saddam Hussein reaches a stage where he feels threatened and that he is losing his control, he will want to carry out an action that will pull the Arab world to his side," Zeevi-Farkash said.