More About That Hole

From the Times On Line:

Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say.

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

More and more it seems that the nice new hole in eastern Syria was part of a plan to acquire nuclear material. I guess we can now call it a "glowhole." The Izzies were busy with this for months.

Israeli special forces had been gathering intelligence for several months in Syria, according to Israeli sources. They located the nuclear material at a compound near Dayr az-Zwar in the north.

Evidence that North Korean personnel were at the site is said to have been shared with President George W Bush over the summer. A senior American source said the administration sought proof of nuclear-related activities before giving the attack its blessing.

It's nice to know that Bush gave his "Dominus Vobiscum" to the Izzies. I wonder if they would have turned the area into a reading lamp anyway without the presidential nod. I think so.

Diplomats in North Korea and China believe a number of North Koreans were killed in the strike, based on reports reaching Asian governments about conversations between Chinese and North Korean officials.

Syrian officials flew to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, last week, reinforcing the view that the two nations were coordinating their response.

Perhaps they are buying matching taffeta shrouds for the lead lined coffins? Hopefully this will dampen any more enthuiasm on behalf of shitheel dictators trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

The big show down, of course, is with Iran. And there is talk of planning for such an event. The effort is part of ongoing development of war strategy, code named Project Checkmate.

Again from the Times:

THE United States Air Force has set up a highly confidential strategic planning group tasked with “fighting the next war” as tensions rise with Iran.

Project Checkmate, a successor to the group that planned the 1991 Gulf War’s air campaign, was quietly reestablished at the Pentagon in June.

It reports directly to General Michael Moseley, the US Air Force chief, and consists of 20-30 top air force officers and defence and cyberspace experts with ready access to the White House, the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

[...]It is led by Brigadier-General Lawrence “Stutz” Stutzriem, who is considered one of the brightest air force generals. He is assisted by Dr Lani Kass, a former Israeli military officer and expert on cyberwarfare.

Perhaps they'll call it the "Gunfight at Esfahan Corrall" or better yet the Esfahan Glowhole...