"U.S. Watched Israeli Raid"

[Carach]

This article first appeared at Aviation Week's Ares weblog.

There are new details of Israeli's attack on Syria that suggests the U.S. had knowledge of the event and perhaps some back-channel involvement. The Pentagon was monitoring the electronic emissions coming from Syria during Israel's Sept. 6 attack and, while there was no active Pentagon engagement in the operation to destroy a nuclear reactor, there was advice provided, say military and aerospace industry officials.

The first event in the raid involved slipping Israel's strike aircraft over the border into Syria without alerting the air defenses. The actual target, a nuclear reactor, was at Dayr az-Zawr. But the main attack was preceded by an engagement with a single Syrian radar site at Tall al-Abuad near the Turkish border. It was struck with a combination of electronic attack and precision bombs to allow the Israeli force to enter and exit Syrian airspace unobserved.

Subsequently the whole Syrian radar system went off the air for a period of time that included the raid, say U.S. intelligence analysts. However, there was "No U.S. active engagement other than consulting on potential target vulnerabilities," says a U.S. electronic warfare specialist. Elements of the attack included some brute force jamming, which is still an important element of attacking air defenses, U.S. analysts say. Also, Syrian air defenses are still centralized and dependent on dedicated HF and VHF communications networks which made them vulnerable.

The analysts don't believe that any part of Syria's electrical grid was shut down. They do contend that network penetration involved both remote air-to-ground electronic attack and penetration through computer-to-computer links. "There also were some higher-level, non-tactical penetrations, either direct or as diversions and spoofs of the Syrian command and control capability, done through network attack," says a U.S. intelligence specialist.

With reporting by Robert Wall, both in Tel Aviv.

it gets closer and closer to an american authorisation eh?

[Kiljan Arslan]

No suprise that we may hae backed it with good reason.

[s.rwitt]

If this is the same incident I'm thinking of, it's fairly old and the US intelligence guys were trying to talk Israel out of carrying out the operation.

[Maverick]

If this is the same incident I'm thinking of, it's fairly old and the US intelligence guys were trying to talk Israel out of carrying out the operation.

Just like Bush Sr. tried to talk them out of bombing Saddam's nuclear reactor. That would be a fun alternate history scenario, Saddam Insane with nukes. It would have certainly made the gulf war and ongoing iraqi war very interesting, also considering the fact that the insurgents ended up with all of Saddam's weapons after he was deposed... non-governments with nukes .

[Carach]

what better way than to give them details of every syrian air defence weakness then eh s.rwitt?

[Big War Bird]

what better way than to give them details of every syrian air defence weakness then eh s.rwitt?

If ya can't talk em out of it then helping them succeed would be better than them failing, I suppose.

[s.rwitt]

Hell it may not be the same one, I just remember skimming through something about a similar airstrike, though I don't remember the target. If this is a new one, then good **** the Syrians.

[Kiljan Arslan]

If ones going to critisize Isreal for attacking syria which it has been in a state of war with for the last 3 and half decades one better critisize Syria for fundintg terrorist groups in its neighbor Lebanon.

[Carach]

not criticising im all for israel making "a big crater out of the ****in' middle east" (to quote an american civilian when interviewed by australian comedians) - im just updating those that may be interested in this event.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Oh I was preempting some statements that I know Musa will make.

[Poisoner]

Well I don't see how the US could of done anything other than watch. Israel is its own sovereign nation. As you leftists like to say, we are not the police of the world.

[Sidmen]

Apparently, we not only watched, but gave tips on how to defeat the enemy. Strange tho it may be, I mean Helping our Ally fight someone they are at war with?

[Caelius]

I doubt the US simply "watched", there were probably more than a few Pentagon liaisons who were in Israel and actively taking notes as the IAF penetrated Syria's air defense network. Mostly because, comparatively speaking, Syria's EWS, ADGE, and other anti-aircraft capabilities are much better than Iran's (but still centered around some of the same Soviet SAM systems).

[Sidmen]

I dare say, that with nukes the war would be over already.. I mean, if you take out Baghdad with a nuke (the most likely place to detonate it, because tons of US soldiers were in there) the rest of the country would be easy to passify.

[SwiftBlade]

i already saw these pictures.
well than another 'unjustified' israeli attack?

[kev-o]

We watched while they bombed a terrorist supporting country? :hm:


I missed a good show.

[Icefrisco]

Thank god america actually notices Syria is an enemy. I am more scared of Syria then I ever was of Saddam.

[crazyj]

I never get tired of hearing how their entire radar grid went down before the strike. That's a wake up call from Uncle Sam alright.

Thank god america actually notices Syria is an enemy. I am more scared of Syria then I ever was of Saddam.

Silly, considering Iraq was like the big brother to Syria.

[Sidmen]

well than another 'unjustified' israeli attack?

Not at all, since Israel is currently at war with syria this attack is fully justifiable. Heck, a full scale invasion would be justifiable (if not entirely practical).

[s.rwitt]

That was sarcasm Sidmen