London Times reports Saudis carry out defense missile tests aimed at allowing Israeli warplanes to pass through airspace on way to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran. ‘We will let them through and see nothing,’ says source
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Saudi Arabia has carried out tests of its missile defense systems aimed at allowing Israeli warplanes to pass over its territory on their way to strike nuclear facilities in Iran, defense sources in the Persian Gulf told the London Times Saturday.
Passing over Saudi Arabia would shorten the flight to the Islamic Republic. According to the report, the missile tests were carried out in order to ensure that Israeli planes will not be shot down while flying over the kingdom’s territory.
In 2009 the London Times reported that Mossad chief Meir Dagan held talks with Saudi Arabia on the subject, and even updated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on their outcome.
In the report, a diplomatic source was quoted by the paper as saying that “the Saudis hinted that they would agree to allow Israeli jets to pass through their airspace in order to carry out a mission with common Israeli and Saudi interests”.
In Saturday’s report a US defense source in the region was quoted as saying, “The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way.”
He added, “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the State Department.”
Sources in Saudi Arabia also told the paper that senior officials in the kingdom had agreed among themselves to allow the planes’ passage. Despite the bad blood between the two states, fears Tehran will develop a nuclear weapon are shared.
“We all know this. We will let them through and see nothing,” one source told the paper.
