Russian units raid Georgian airfields for use in Israeli strike against Iran – report
DEBKAfile Special Report
September 5, 2008, 12:58 PM (GMT+02:00)
Israeli long-range unmanned aerial vehicle
The raids were disclosed by UPI chief editor Arnaud de Borchgrave, who is also on the Washington Times staff, and picked up by the Iranian Fars news agency. The Russian raids of two Georgian airfields, which Tbilisi had allowed Israel to use for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, followed the Georgian offensive against South Ossetia on Aug. 7.
Under the secret agreement with Georgia, the airfields had been earmarked for use by Israeli fighter-bombers taking off to strike Iran in return for training and arms supplies.
DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that flying from S. Georgia over the Caspian Sea to Iran would sharply trim the distance to be spanned by Israeli fighter-bombers, reducing flying time to 3.5 hours.
Northern Iran and the Tehran region, where most of the nuclear facilities are concentrated, would be within range, with no need to request US permission to pass through Iraq air space.
Russian Special Forces also raided other Israeli facilities in southern Georgia and captured Israeli spy drones, says the report.
Israel was said to have used the two airfields to “conduct recon flights over southern Russia as well as into nearby Iran.” The US intelligence sources quoted by UPI reported that the Russian force also carried home other Israeli military equipment captured at the air bases.
Our sources say that if the Russians got hold of an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle complete with sophisticated electronic reconnaissance equipment, they will have secured some of the IDF’s most secret devices for spying on Iran and Syria.
When this happened before, Russian military engineers quickly dismantled the equipment, studied it and passed the technology on
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
September 3, 2008, 10:46 PM (GMT+02:00)
Cheney talks about energy, Black Sea, Georgia in four-nation tour
DEBKAfile Special Report
September 3, 2008, 6:31 PM (GMT+02:00)
US VP Dick Cheney
At his first stop in Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 3, vice president Richard Cheney was briefed on the impact of the Georgia conflict on the prospects of diversifying energy supplies and pipelines from the Caspian to lessen Europe’s dependence on Russia.
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Putin promises an answer to NATO’s naval Black Sea presence
DEBKAfile Special Report
September 2, 2008, 8:54 PM (GMT+02:00)
On a visit to Uzbekistan, Tuesday Sept. 2, prime minister Vladimir Putin said Russia’s reaction to NATO ships “will be calm, without any sort of hysteria. But of course there will be an answer.”
Putin and Uzbek president Islam Karimov announced a deal will be finalized in the near future for a new natural gas pipeline to pump Turkmen and Uzbek gas across Uzbekistan into the Russian pipeline system for re-export to Europe.
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Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak - machinations behind Israel's back
Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abu Ghait met secretly with Hizballah leaders in Beirut last week, DEBKA file’s counter-terror sources report, and invited a delegation to pay a formal visit to Cairo. This is a stab in the back for Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, defense minister Ehud Barak and their policy of heavy reliance on Egyptian mediation for holding down Hamas aggression from the Gaza Strip and securing the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit.
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Sarkozy in Damascus backs away from US-led condemnation of Iran’s nuclear program
DEBKAfile Special Report
September 3, 2008, 12:10 AM (GMT+02:00)
French and Syrian presidents at one on Iranian nuclear program
French president Nicolas Sarkozy said in Damascus Wednesday, Sept 3: “Obviously there is a lack of confidence between Iran and the nations involved in this issue. We [the French] will continue our efforts for dialogue.”
In a clear departure from Washington’s position and in breach of his promises to Israel not to accept a nuclear Iran, Sarkozy omitted to refer to sanctions or any other penalties and clearly avoided recriminations against the Islamic Republic.
DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report that the French president was preparing for a discussion on the Iranian nuclear program taking place in Damascus Thursday.
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