That’s the 64 dollar question that’s not being asked, in part because it acknowledges Israel’s nuclear arsenal. From Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com:
There is a prevailing expectation for the developing war in the Middle East – If Israel commits to a ground invasion the conflict will expand to the rest of the region. Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen and others will react with a troop buildup or will engage with Israel outright, even with the presence of two US carrier groups. The rhetoric is swirling around what might happen should this chain of dominoes fall, but the most common prediction is that Israel would lose in a multifront war unless US forces intercede.
There is, however, another scenario that most analysts rarely if ever consider. It’s one of the biggest non-secret secrets in the proliferation of armaments – Israel has a nuclear arsenal and has been developing it since the late-1950s.
In 1958 the Eisenhower Administration discovered a secret nuclear reactor in Negev desert of Israel that was disguised as the development of a textile manufacturing plant. Also known as the Dimona nuclear site, the reactor was built with French assistance and utilized heavy water purchased from Norway through a deal brokered by the UK government. The project was designed to experiment with plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.
A Special National Intelligence Estimate (SNIE 100-8-60 from 8 December 1960) formally determined that “Israel is engaged in construction of a nuclear reactor complex in the Negev near Beersheba” and “plutonium production for weapons is at least one major purpose of this effort.” The SNIE estimated “that Israel would produce some weapons grade plutonium in 1963-64 and possibly as early as 1962.” A significant portion of the SNIE is still classified.
