This is a superior article in The American Conservative by an ex-CIA officer who lays out in stark terms the difficulties facing Israel if they were to go it alone and bomb Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Basically, it comes down to geography, technology, and the cold calculations for success. A couple of excerpts: Let's assume that the Israelis opt for an attacking force of 50 fighters, one third of which would be designated for suppression of ground fire. The planes would be equipped with conformal fuel tanks built into the fuselages for extended range. They would also have auxiliary tanks that could be jettisoned when empty. Nevertheless, the attacking force would have to take off from Israeli airfields and then almost immediately refuel either over Israel or above the Mediterranean because fighters burn considerable fuel in getting off the ground. Refueling from Israel's twelve modified Boeing 707 and C-130 tankers would take some time even though a plane using a flying...(Read Full Post)