Israel Buys 2 Nuclear-Capable Submarines
Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer Jerusalem (AHN) - Israel has purchased two additional German-made Dolphin submarines enabled to fire nuclear warheads. Military experts say Israel is clearly indicating to Iran that it can retaliate if attacked by nuclear weapons. The recent purchases were made at a time when Iran is in the midst of an ongoing standoff with the West to stop its nuclear program, and after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." The new submarines cost $1.3 billion with one-third of the bill paid for by Germany. Each submarine has diesel-electric propulsion systems that allow for it to be submerged longer than the three other nuclear arms-capable submarines in Israel's arsenal. The new submarines would provide Israel with crucial second-strike capabilities, said Paul Beaver, a London-based independent defense analyst. He said, Israel is already surmised to have that ability in the form of the Jericho-1 and Jericho-2 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which are buried so far underground they would survive a nuclear strike. He added, "The Iranians would be very foolish if they attacked Israel." Practicing a policy of nuclear ambiguity, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied having nuclear weapons. Israel is believed to have the world's sixth-largest supply of atomic arms, along with hundreds of warheads.
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