Israel Matzav

Israel disrupted Iran's satellite launch?

Haaretz is reporting that Israel may have disrupted Iran's satellite launch last month, causing a delay of several hours but not preventing the launch.

Hostile unmanned aerial vehicles overflew Iran last month and disrupted the communications systems at the launch site of a missile carrying Iran's first satellite to space, according to the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian leader was quoted by an Iranian news agency as having said in recent discussions that the disruptions of communications caused a delay of several hours to the launch of the rocket, which had to be operated with the use of a backup system.

Ahmadinejad said drones flew at very high altitude and used sophisticated electronic equipment to jam ground-based systems. He also said that a decision was made to shoot down the drones with fighter planes, but it was decided not to do so for reasons he did not explain.

Haaretz quotes Meir Javedanfar who says that Israel is the number one suspect.

"The intelligence war against Iran is intensifying and becoming more public. It seems that the aim is not only to foil Iran's military developments but also to embarrass the leadership and put pressure on it. This may be an important tool for Ahmadinejad in the coming presidential elections," the analyst said.

It would have been nicer if Israel could have prevented the launch altogether, but this sort of thing has to keep Ahmadinejad awake at night. How could the Joooooos have known what he was planning? Heh.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:22 PM