Israel – Its dealings with India and its nuclear armoury

Eliyahu Leviteh, deputy director of Israel's nuclear energy agency, paid a visit to India in early December 2004 for meetings with his Indian counterparts. Seemingly India and Israel are building up an alliance against Pakistan, a Muslim nuclear power, and, just possibly, Iran, which the Israelis believe has nuclear ambitions. Fairly accurate disclosure of the latest information about the size of the Israeli nuclear forces follows:

The visit of Leviteh, a veteran Israeli expert on nuclear non-proliferation, signals the highest level of secret co-operation with another country. How big are the nuclear arsenals of the two countries? Our informant believes that Israel has some 200 warheads capable of being launched from land, sea and air. The Indian arsenal is thought to be smaller.

Information about Israeli-Indian co-operation is top secret. As informed , Leviteh was authorised by the government to give India an idea of the effectiveness of the Israeli nuclear armoury.

It appears that the Israelis have improved their platforms for carrying nuclear warheads. Foreign Report’s can reveal that Indian pilots visited Israel recently and were guests of the new strategic long-haul F-16I / Sufa squadron. It is believed that the Indian pilots received a thorough briefing about this strategic squadron, which the Israelis are preparing, along with their F-151 squadron, for an attack on a foreign target, possibly Iran.

US pilots outwitted :

Foreign report has obtained some intriguing information about a related development that could affect Israel's relations with the pro-Israeli US administration. By our informant's account, a number of Indian and US pilots practiced dogfights, in which the US airmen expected their Indian counterparts to be wiped off their radar screens. The opposite is said to have happened. The US pilots were time and again 'shot down' by the Indian pilots. How come?

When the US pilots were debriefed by their commanders, they insisted that the Indians were flying in strange formations, almost like the Israelis. When the US investigated, it discovered that the Indian interception pilots had received special training in Israel from Israeli interception pilots. But this explanation was not enough for the US top brass. Further investigation showed that the Israelis had sold some of their latest air-to-air missiles, which can be launched in 360 degrees, to India. The US was furious; its pilots have no missiles of this kind. The US was aware of the Israeli capability, but was astonished about the sale and DEEP - ToT to the Indians.

Amos Yaron, Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Defence, was asked for an explanation by the US, which had provided the finance for the Israelis to develop their missiles. Yaron's explanation was not good enough for the US, so it approached the Israeli government and demanded Yaron be replaced. If he was not removed, there would be no US military co-operation. Nothing happened. Yaron was supposed to step down from his job in the summer. But what about Israel and the Indians?

Prediction: The close Indo-Israeli relationship will continue, as will the much closer Israeli-US relationship. Israel's friends in Washington will see to that.