Iran successfully tested a Shihab-3 missile which has a range
that can reach Israel, but Aryeh Herzog, overall head of
Israel's missile defense system, said that Israel's Arrow
antimissile system can defend against it.
After years of development, Iran announced Monday that the
Shihab-3 ballistic missile, capable of reaching Israel with a
1,300 km range, had undergone its "final testing" some weeks
ago and is now operational. The most recent launch was the
most successful so far of the seven or eight tests of the
missile over the last five years, and has increased worries
in Washington -- which spotted the test with its tracking
mechanisms -- and in Israel.
The Shihab-3 ballistic missile, first tested in 1998, has a
range of 1,300 km (800 miles). It is based on the North
Korean Nodong-1 missile but has been improved with Russian
technology. There were some indications that the range of the
missile is even farther that 1,300-kilometers, the distance
from Iran's western border to Israel. If so, the launching
pads for the rocket could be placed deeper inside their
country. The Israeli defense establishment has warned that
Iran will have nuclear capabilities within two years and will
be able to install nuclear warheads on these missiles.
In previous tests, when the rocket was powered by a North
Korean engine the tests were successful, but when the engines
were Iranian-made, even with North Korean know-how, they
tended to fail -- despite statements by the Iranian Defense
Minister that Iran can "develop everything" and does not need
help from foreign sources like China or Russia.
"We have the full capability to match what the Iranians have
today: the Shihab-3," Herzog said. Herzog expressed concern
over Syria's surface-to-surface missiles.
Israel is also concerned about the growing ties between Iran
and Libya. The Libyan threat is the reason for setting up a
third Arrow battery even though the Iraqi threat is gone. One
response to the Libyan threat is an Arrow battery on a naval
vessel.
Western experts said that the 16-meter single-stage Shihab-
3, which can carry up to a ton of explosives in its payload,
is not very accurate, with the probability of hitting within
three kilometers of the target it is launched at. The missile
range already includes Israel, Turkey, the Indian
subcontinent and the American forces in the Gulf.
Iran has plans for two longer-range missiles: a Shihab-4,
with a 2,000-kilometer range and a Shihab-5, with a 5,500-
kilometer range. These will be able to reach parts of
mainland Europe and are already under development.
The next commander of Centcom, Gen. John Abizaid, who
replaces Tommy Franks, testified last week to a Senate
committee that "Iran has the largest ballistic missile
inventory in the Central Command region to include long-
range weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems
capable of reaching deployed U.S. forces in the theater."
And he warned, "Iran's long-term ability to develop nuclear
weapons remains a source of serious concern."
He told the committee that "Iran casts a shadow on security
and stability in the Gulf region. Iran's military is second
only to the United States. U.S. allies in the Gulf
acknowledge Iran's increasingly proactive efforts to soften
its image and appear less hegemonic; however, Iran's military
poses a potential threat to neighboring countries."
"We have long had very serious concerns about Iranian missile
programs," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
"We've seen Iran's efforts to develop its missile
capabilities, including flight testing, as a threat to the
region and a threat to U.S. interests in the region."
United Nations atomic agency chief Mohammed ElBaradeh is to
visit Teheran this week to investigate Iran's nuclear
program. The United States has accused Iran of developing
nuclear arms, a charge Teheran denies. It says its nuclear
program is for purely peaceful purposes.
Both the United States and Israel accuse Iran of backing
armed Palestinian groups responsible for suicide bombings
against Israeli targets. Iran has publicly refused to
acknowledge the right of the Jewish state to exist, although
officials have recently said they would not oppose a two-
state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if
Palestinians backed it.
