Israel denied Sunday a British report that it had drawn up
secret plans to attack Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with
tactical nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin told
Xinhua that the report by British newspaper The Sunday
Times was "totally fabricated" and it did not single out any
specific information sources it mentioned.
Citing alleged several Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sources,
The Sunday Times said two Israel Air Force (IAF) squadrons
had been training to blow up an enrichment plant in Natanz using
low-yield nuclear "bunker busters."
Meanwhile, two other sites, a heavy water plant at Arak and a
uranium conversion plant at Isfahan, would be targeted with
conventional bombs, it added.
The IDF had no comments on the report so far.
In the wake of the report, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said any measure against Iran would not
remain unanswered and "the attacker would quickly regret the
action", according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
During an interview with Xinhua last Friday, Olmert downplayed
the possibility of an Israeli military action against Iran.
"I hope that the day will not come. I hope very much that the
diplomatic measures and the economic sanctions will be effective,"
said Olmert, adding "if we take necessary diplomatic measures
together with the economic sanctions ... the outcome will be
positive."
The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Dec. 23, 2006,
demanding Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing
activities, while imposing a nuclear-related trade ban on Iran.
However, Tehran vowed to continue its nuclear program despite
the resolution, calling its nuclear program a peaceful effort to
develop energy.
(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2007)
