Panetta: Israel Strike In Iran Will Engage US

[Purveyor]

Source: YNETNEWS

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told US Marines and sailors on Friday that Afghanistan is making progress against the Taliban but Iran remains a potential threat to the US.

"If Israel decides to go after Iran and we have to defend ourselves, we could be engaged sooner than any of us want," he said.

It was not clear whether Panetta was saying the United States would automatically be engaged if Israel would attack. It also is not clear if the Obama administration has plans to be engaged with Iran.

"Our focus is on diplomacy and international pressure on Iran. I'm not going to speculate on what would happen in various scenarios other than to say that we will be ready," Carl Woog, Panetta's spokesman, said later.

MORE...

Read more: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4210381,00.html

[PSPS]

1. "Engage" must be the new code for "illegally invade for profit."

[aquart]

11. Let me know how Israel would profit from this.

I really hate hysteria.

[eridani]

18. Their own military and intelligence says that Israel would not profit

Which unfortunately does not prevent that asshole Netanyahu from using the US congressional fear of fundy jerkwads to gin up support for such idiocy.

[The Stranger]

25. It's too obvious and too extensive to list. Why do you think Israel would not profit?

[truedelphi]

13. Oh there is a whole lot of stuff going above and beyond

Another war for profit that Indicates all this back and forth about Iran is NOT ABOUT IRAN having nukes.

Lord Blackheath, a member of Parliament, was insinuating that he has come across receipts and records of recent banking activities in the UK, that were signed off on by various officials there. Though they did so illegally. And those transactions amount to more than fifteen trillions of pounds.

meanwhile, Israeli officials are helping our government avoid telling the world that the Iranian nation's oil is no longer on the market for the USA or for Great Britain, as Iran has cut us off already, due to the fact that these two nations have run up so much debit to Iran and we don't seem to have the ability to pay any of it back!!

But the public and the world governments are being told that we are doing SANCTIONS against Iran, rather than let it get out there that the Western civilizations are DEAD BROKE!

[bahrbearian]

16. Interesting, Looks like they want to erase some debit.

[BeHereNow]

20. OMG! I had no idea... thanks for filling in the blanks.

Have you launched an OP on this information?
If so, I missed it, please link me up.

If not, what are you waiting for?



BHN

[truedelphi]

39. I have some video footage of Lord Blackheath

Addressing Parliament. Am trying to figure out what forum to put it in.

I might put it over in Occupy.

[BeHereNow]

41. Please let me know where you put it!

Traffic on DU is so fast these days I miss some really good stuff!
BHN

[truedelphi]

42. I put the video over at economy (or is that forum "economic"?)

It is the first topic over there right now - so you can watch it.

I have also contacted Catherine Austin Fitts - this is something that she might know about. As would Greg Palast.

[BeHereNow]

44. Thanks truedelphi!

I will check it out-
BHN

[Earth_First]

43. +1

I would read...

[enlightenment]

2. Warmonger.

I've always found it interesting that the root of 'monger' means a 'dealer in slaves'.

[polly7]

3. How is Iran a threat to the U.S.?

[Richard D]

5. If . . .

. . .Israel attacks Iran, they will close down the Straights of Hormuz, effectively cutting off a great deal of the worlds' supply of oil. That would engage the US almost instantly.

[polly7]

9. If attacked, they have every right to close down anything they like. nt.

[dflprincess]

19. So, if an attack by Israel is what would cause the Straights of Hormuz to be closed,

doesn't that mean Israel is the threat?

[AtheistCrusader]

24. No no no. Stop thinking critically, they hate that.

It's not very nice to point holes in their theories.

[Laughing Mirror]

7. By not having any U.S. military bases on its territory, of course

You see, it's very simple. If you don't have U.S. military bases in your country it means you're a threat to the U.S.

[aquart]

12. Wow. A real threat to the Saudis.

And perhaps now would be a good time to remember that Persians are NOT Arabs.

[The Stranger]

26. Iran is not a threat to the Saudis.

That is bullshit.

[truedelphi]

15. And thank you for posting that graphic. But also

Check out the information I wrote out in post 13.

[riderinthestorm]

4. At this very moment there's this thread and right underneath is "Panetta decries defense cuts"

Of course there's no relation right??

[Crowman1979]

6. So we're basically Israel's bitch.

[madrchsod]

8. well......yes

we actively backed israel when the soviet empire decided to befriend egypt and syria . now throw in the rapture christians and the military wanting to take on iran to overthrow the mullahs who actually run the country. yup our government is willing to shed more of our blood and money to back Israel who has more nuclear weapons than any other state in the middle east.

[The Stranger]

27. Their the ONLY nuclear power in the Middle East, and probably fifth in the world.

[leveymg]

30. The Saudis are already a de facto nuclear power through their proxy, Pakistan.

The argument that a regional arms race will be started if Iran acquires nuclear capability ignores that fact, and depends upon people continuing to deny that KSA funded Pakistan's nuclear program and that Pakistan is bound to KSA politically, economically and militarily.

[The Stranger]

35. "Pakistan is bound to KSA politically, economically and militarily"?

I'm not seeing this. They are separated geographically, racially, in their political systems, etc., even their practice of their religion.

[leveymg]

40. Here are some sources about the extraordinarily close KSA-Pak strategic & nuclear relationship.

Let's talk about specifics once you've had a chance to look at these and related:


Saudi Arabia Special Weapons
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/saudi/index.htmlCached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
Jul 24, 2011 – During Mr Nawaz Sharif's tenure as prime minister, Saudi Arabia appears to have begun funding Pakistan's nuclear and missile programs.
#


http://tribune.com.pk/story/325571/the-bomb-iran-saudi-arabia-and-pakistan/

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers12/paper1170.html

#
Pakistan–Saudi Arabia relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan–Saudi_Arabia_relations Cached
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
A Muslim-majority state, Pakistan has sought to develop close bilateral ties with Saudi ... It is also speculated that Saudi Arabia secretly funded Pakistan's atomic ...
#
Nuclear program of Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Saudi_Arabia Cached
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
2 Nuclear sharing with Arab states of the Persian Gulf nuclear programs; 3 Recent ... According to Western media reports, Saudi Arabia also facilitated funds for nuclear ... Historically, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have extremely cordial relations ...
#

[nanabugg]

34. This might usher in the "American Summer." nt

[happerbolic]

10. so....

... which family member of Panetta is being held hostage by which cracker-jack out fit of (whatever) Blackwater calls itself these days, to throw the meaning of discretion to the wind, like this?

But, I'm sure it's done in a tasteful oooh, haha, what fun Salahi crashing State dinner (Look at the min. of what we can do) kind of manner...huh....

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

37. I think Blackwater is now Hillary's private army

Now that DoD is "officially" out of Iraq.

edit to add: Maybe if DoD asks real nice, they'll be able to borrow some Blackwater/Xe/Academi mercenaries from her.

[Maynar]

14. IOW,

one false flag launch is all it'll take?

Glad I'm old.

[Purveyor]

17. Scary but you are absolutely correct and it won't take much... eom

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. I would think that N Korea is more of a threat

The right wants a war with Iran.

[jerseyjack]

22. What are our planned sanctions against Israel if they attack Iran?

[Politicalboi]

23. If only

[secondvariety]

28. I hope

I live long enough to see the entire Middle East become irrelevant (again). The ones who come up with an alternative to fossil fuels will be heroes to the entire planet.

[GeorgeGist]

29. ynet news?

nyet news!

[bemildred]

31. He is saying if Iran attacks us after Israel attacks Iran, then we will (of course) respond. nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

32. Any threat to the Straights of Hormuz and we will be involved.

Regardless of who it is from or who starts it.

[Scurrilous]

33. K & R

[Typical NYC Lib]

36. Well let's give back the ring

I support a divorce in fact.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

38. I don't know if Israel's air force is up to the job

Certainly their little fighter-bombers are capable, but I don't know if they have the heavy bombers that can lift the immense bunker-busting bombs.

So, yeah, we would almost certainly get sucked into the war.

We sold Israel some 5,000 lb bunker-busting bombs, but I don't think they have any of our 30,000 lb nasties.

Warning: the following link is to faux-news, so take it with grains of salt (and a shot of tequila)
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/10/pentagon-calls-for-urgent-upgrade-bunker-busting-bombs-as-iranian-threat-looms/