North Korea Fires Missile over Japan

North Korea has fired a missile over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido which prime minister Shinzo Abe has called the ‘most serious and grave ever’ threat to the country.

North Korea 'Preparing to Unveil Missile Capable of Striking Continental US'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: North Korea is preparing to unveil a new long-range missile that is capable of striking targets in the continental US.

Reconnaissance satellites have identified the huge missile at a government research and development facility in Pyongyang, South Korean government sources told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

Analysts estimate the weapon to be around 130 feet long and, equipped with a more powerful booster unit, capable of delivering a warhead more than 6,200 miles.

Unveiling the missile will raise new fears in neighbouring countries, already alarmed by Pyongyang's insistence that it will go ahead with the launch in mid-April of a rocket to put a satellite into orbit. » | Julian Ryall in Tokyo | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

U.S. Fears Iran Has Long-range Missile

Iran Broadcasts Missile Launch on State Television
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has test fired a surface-to-surface missile, according to the country’s defence minister.



Ahmad Vahidi’s announcement comes a day before Iran is scheduled to launch its Russian-built first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Television images showed the sand coloured Qiam (Rising) blasting into the air from a desert terrain, amid chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).

The words “Ya Mahdi” were written on the side of the missile, referring to Imam Mahdi, one of the 12 imams of Shiite Islam, who disappeared as a boy and whom the faithful believe will return one day to bring redemption to mankind.

Mr Vahidi, who was speaking during Friday prayers in Tehran, did not say when the launch took place nor did he disclose the precise range of the missile. >>> | Friday, August 20, 2010

UK Could Be Target For Tehran Missiles ‘In Four Years’
TIMES ONLINE: Iran is focused on improving a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles but needs at least four more years to be able to target London and more than a decade to threaten the East Coast of the United States, a leading think-tank said yesterday.

The analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) came after Tehran said that it had test-fired for the first time a series of short-range Fajr (Dawn) missiles in the Gulf.

“The missiles were fired from surface to sea and hit the target with great precision,” Kiomars Haydari, deputy chief of the army ground forces, was quoted by a local news agency as saying. >>> Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor | Tuesday, May 11, 2010

US Accuses Iran and Syria of Arming Hizbollah with New Rockets and Missiles
THE TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has accused Iran and Syria of arming Hizbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, saying the militia's arsenal undermined stability in the region.



"Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability," he said at a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

"And we're at a point now, where Hizbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world, and this is obviously destabilizing for the whole region and we're watching it very carefully."

Mr Gates did not say if Syria was supplying Hizbollah with Scud missiles as Israel has alleged. Mr Barak voiced serious concern over Syria's support for Hizbollah but did not repeat the allegation that it was providing Scuds to the Lebanese Shia militia. Damascus has vehemently rejected the charge.

Mr Barak said Syria was arming Hezbollah with "weapons systems that can turn or disrupt the very delicate balance in Lebanon", adding "we do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria". >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

US Accuses Iran and Syria of Arming Hizbollah with New Rockets and Missiles
THE TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has accused Iran and Syria of arming Hizbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, saying the militia's arsenal undermined stability in the region.



"Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability," he said at a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

"And we're at a point now, where Hizbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world, and this is obviously destabilizing for the whole region and we're watching it very carefully."

Mr Gates did not say if Syria was supplying Hizbollah with Scud missiles as Israel has alleged. Mr Barak voiced serious concern over Syria's support for Hizbollah but did not repeat the allegation that it was providing Scuds to the Lebanese Shia militia. Damascus has vehemently rejected the charge.

Mr Barak said Syria was arming Hezbollah with "weapons systems that can turn or disrupt the very delicate balance in Lebanon", adding "we do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria". >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Iran Could Develop Missile Capable of US Strike by 2015
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran could develop a ballistic missile capable of striking the United States by 2015, a senior US official has warned.

The Shahab 3 missile has a range of 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometre) and capable of hitting Israel and US bases in the region. Photo: The Telegraph
Asked at a senate hearing about Tehran's missile capability, James Miller, principal deputy undersecretary of defence for policy, said current estimates indicate "that it could potentially be as soon as 2015."

But he said that estimate assumed "foreign assistance" to enable Iran to improve its missile technology.

A report last year from the US Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Centre said Iran could build an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit US soil by 2015-2018, if it received outside help.

Analysts say Iran's Safir space launch vehicle, which Tehran put into orbit in February 2009, has the potential to be converted into a long-range missile.

Washington closely follows Iran's missile program and has cited threats from Tehran and North Korea as the main impetus for building up missile defences for the United States and allies. >>> | Wednesday, April 21, 2010

US Summons Syrian Diplomat Over Hizbollah 'Arms Transfer'
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States has summoned the senior Syrian diplomat in Washington to address "provocative behaviour" regarding the potential transfer of Scud missiles to Hizbollah that it said could be a threat to both Lebanon and Israel.

Lebanese Hezbollah student supporters carry a mock rocket during a protest held by a Hezbollah-run school. Photograph: The Telegraph
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the transfer of any arms, and especially ballistic missile systems such as the Scud, from Syria to Hizbollah," the statement, issued by State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid, said.

"The transfer of these arms can only have a destabilising effect on the region, and would pose an immediate threat to both the security of Israel and the sovereignty of Lebanon."

The US statement stopped short of confirming the alleged transfer of long-range Scud missiles to Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas, which if true could cast doubt on US President Barack Obama's diplomatic outreach to Syria.

The State Department said this was the fourth time in recent months that Washington had raised the issue with the Syrian Embassy.

US officials said last week they believed Syria intended to transfer the weaponry, but had doubts about whether the missiles were delivered fully assembled or had actually been transferred to Lebanon.

Damascus has denied the transfer and said Israel might be using the accusation as a pretext for a military strike against Syrian targets. >>> | Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Israel Accuses Syria of Providing Scud Missiles to Hizbollah
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel's president has accused Syria of double-dealing amid allegations that Damascus has handed over an arsenal of Scud missiles to the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hizbollah.

Reports claim that Hizbollah operatives have been trained in the use of Scuds, some models of which have a longer range than its current arsenal and could hit any city in Israel from Lebanon.

They say Israel is threatening to bomb targets in both Lebanon and Syria if additional claims that the missiles have been physically moved across the border and placed under Hizbollah control are verified.

"Syria claims it wants peace while at the same time it delivers Scuds to Hezbollah whose only goal is to threaten the state of Israel," Shimon Peres, the Nobel peace prize-winning Israeli president said yesterday.

The United States, which has been moving towards closer relations with Syria, is also said to be alarmed. Washington this year agreed to send its first ambassador to Damascus for five years, but a hold has been put on his taking up his appointment. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Iran's Missiles Are ‘Ready to Destroy Israel’
TIMES ONLINE: Iran warned Israel yesterday that it faces destruction if it attacks the Islamic republic, only hours after Tehran provocatively test-fired missiles capable of hitting targets across the Middle East.

“If this [an Israeli attack] happens, which, of course, we do not foresee, its ultimate result would be to expedite the last breath of the Zionist regime,” Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian Defence Minister, said on state television.

His defiant comments came after Western leaders dismissed a second day of rocket launches by Iran, calling them a “reprehensible” distraction from critical talks this week that will determine whether Tehran is ready to negotiate over its nuclear programme, or face biting new sanctions.

Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s White House spokesman, called the missile tests “provocative”. He added: “This is an important day and an important week for Iran.”

He demanded unfettered access to a new nuclear facility that Iran appeared to have concealed from international inspectors, but finally admitted to last week.

“They can continue on the path they’ve been on . . . or make a decision to step away from a nuclear weapons programme, and enter into a meaningful relationship with the world, based on their own security but not based on nuclear weapons.” >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent and Tim Reid in Washington | Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Unnötiger Triumph für den Kreml
NZZ ONLINE: Kommentar zu Obamas Verzicht auf die Raketenabwehr in Ostmitteleuropa

Noch bleibt undurchsichtig, was genau zur Schubladisierung der amerikanischen Pläne für eine Raketenabwehr in Ostmitteleuropa geführt hat und ob Präsident Obama im Gegenzug etwas dafür in Russland herausgeholt hat. Sicher aber ist, dass diese Entscheidung eine markanten Änderung des amerikanischen Kurses bedeutet.

In der Regierungszeit von Obamas Vorgänger Bush hatten die Vereinigten Staaten die Entwicklung der Technologie zur Zerstörung gegnerischer Interkontinentalraketen ausserhalb der Erdatmosphäre noch mit aller Kraft vorangetrieben. Was in den achtziger Jahren als Idee à la «Star Wars» belächelt worden war, ist in der Zwischenzeit der technischen Reife recht nahe gekommen. 2004 nahmen die USA in Alaska ihre erste Abfangraketen-Basis in Betrieb; sie war Amerikas Antwort auf die Entwicklung nordkoreanischer Raketen mit immer längeren Reichweiten.

Die falschen Signale

Die Abwehrbasis in Polen und die dazugehörige Radarstation in Tschechien wurden analog dazu als Vorkehrungen gegen das islamistische Regime in Teheran projektiert. Angesichts der Fortschritte, die Iran beim Raketenbau und auf dem Weg zur Atombombe gemacht hat, erscheint die damalige Entscheidung auch heute noch als korrekt. Obama hat sich denn auch nicht völlig davon losgesagt, sondern nur eine Warteschlaufe angeordnet. Falls die iranische Bedrohung im nächsten Jahrzehnt akut wird, wie manche Geheimdienste annehmen, so wird kein amerikanischer Präsident – ob Demokrat oder Republikaner – zögern, die Raketenabwehrpläne wieder hervorzuholen. >>> Von Andreas Rüesch | Donnerstag, 17. September 2009

Iran Fires Missile Capable of Hitting Israel
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has claimed to have test-fired a new medium-range surface to surface missile capable of reaching Israel.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the test in a bellicose speech in which he warned the country would press ahead with its nuclear programme.

"The defence minister (Mohammad Mostafa Najjar) told me today that we launched a Sejil-2 missile, which is a two-stage missile and it has reached the intended target," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern town of Semnan.

"I was told that the missile is able to go beyond the atmosphere then come back and hit its target. It works on solid fuel," Ahamdinejad added to cheers from the crowd.

He did not specify the missile's range.

Mr Najjar told the television in November that the new missile had "a range of close to 2,000 kilometres (1,350 miles)," which is similar to that of the Shahab-3 and sufficient to put Iran's regional Israel in range. State television has broadcast footage of the launch of the missile which is similar in size to Iran's medium-range Shahab 3.

Western analysts have frequently questioned Iran's claims about new missiles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu has said Iran's missile technology and controversial nuclear programme pose an existential threat to the Jewish state greater than any it has faced since its creation in 1948. >>> \ Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Ahmadinejad: Israel Wouldn’t Dare Attack Iran
YNET NEWS: Reuters - Following successful Israel test of missile 'capable of carrying unconventional payload,' Iranian president says Israel would regret any attack on his country

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Israel "would not dare attack Iran," after Israel said it tested a missile following warnings against Iran's controversial nuclear program.

The missile test came after Israeli warnings and accusations about Tehran's atomic ambitions and drew a defiant response from the Iranian president, who said Israel would regret any attack.

Oil briefly rose almost $1 to above $92 a barrel on news of the missile test, which came three days after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would consider all options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad: Israel would not dare attack us >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)