The latter if true would provide israel with an offshore nuclear second strike capability. The cruise missiles have a range of at least 1 500 km 930 mi and are widely believed to be equipped with a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead containing up to 6 kilograms 13 lb of plutonium. A request from israel for 1 100 mile 1 770 km range pershing ii medium range ballistic missiles was rejected by the united states for inclusion.
As many as 90 jericho 2 missiles are currently based in caves near zekharia sdot micha airbase southeast of tel aviv. The jericho ii ya 3 is a solid fuel two stage long range ballistic missile system and a follow on from the jericho i project. Israel is estimated to possess somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads.
Israel is also generally understood to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge it maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity and is not known definitively to have conducted a nuclear test. Beyond the nuclear programme israel is alarmed by iran s development of long range missiles its support for hostile militant groups and iran s ongoing military presence in syria. Israel s missile defenses air defenses and delivery systems are far too.
The most obvious scenario for israel to use nuclear weapons would be in response to a foreign nuclear attack. Israel set off to join the nuclear club in the 1950s. To prevent the destruction of the jewish state.
Regardless the goal is the same. Israeli nuclear weapons guard against everything from defeat in conventional warfare to serving to deter hostile states from launching nuclear chemical and biological warfare attacks against the tiny country. Determined israeli counteroffensives were able to turn the situation on both.
Israeli nuclear weapons were placed on alert and loaded onto jericho i surface to surface missiles and f 4 phantoms. Israel as well as the us have a clear interest in stopping or at least disrupting iran s weapons production capability and in particular nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles retired. The us congress office of technology assessment has recorded israel as a country generally reported as having undeclared chemical warfare capabilities and an offensive biological warfare program.
Israel is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction and to be one of four nuclear armed countries not recognized as a nuclear weapons state by the non proliferation treaty npt.
Israel nuclear missile. The state of israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons estimates of israel s stockpile range between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads and the country is believed to possess the ability to deliver them in several methods including by aircraft. As submarine launched cruise missiles. And the jericho series of intermediate to intercontinental range ballistic missiles.
And the jericho series of intermediate to intercontinental range ballistic missiles. As submarine launched cruise missiles. The state of israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons estimates of israel s stockpile range between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads and the country is believed to possess the ability to deliver them in several methods including by aircraft.
