Iran is still relying on parts coming over from North Korea. The North Koreans split them up into components – they are harder to detect that way. Without North Korea, Iran’s entire liquid fuel ballistic missile industry would grind to a halt, he said. The Assad regime, too, would lose its Scud missile program.
Bechtol claims the North Koreans helped Iran develop a nuclear warhead for the Nodong missile, and assisted with the Iranian plutonium reactor at Arak. “We know that the head of Iran’s highly enriched uranium program was in North Korea in 2013, likely to observe a uranium nuclear test,” he said.
About the latest crisis between America and North Korea, watch closely. America fought a serious war on the Korean Peninsula in the early 1950’s with North Korea, and has been South Korea’s ally and protector since. The American also have had a strategic partnership with Japan since the 1950’s.
As the saying goes, “countries don’t have friends, just interests.” There are close parallels between the US, South Korea and Japan, vis-a-vis North Korea, and the US and Israel, vis-a-vis Iran. So Jews and Israel should be watching closely how the Trump administration “protects” its allies. One can get a picture of just how well America would cover Israel under its “security umbrella,” when pushing Israel to take a “chance for peace” as has been suggested, in any future Middle East peace deal, by watching the Korean crisis unfold. And, it will give a clue as to how much Israel can count on the US in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
If you thought the latest ballistic missile tests by North Korea proved they can finally hit Israel, you’re wrong. They’ve been able to hit Israel theoretically, since their 2012 test of theTaepodong-2, or in 2013 with their UnHa-3, which successfully launched a satellite and could have carried a 500-kilogram nuclear warhead. Satellite launching ability and ICBM nuclear warhead delivery are closely related.
Don’t worry, Israel has its own Jericho-3 ICBM that could hit North Korea, not to mention Iran. Israel’s Jericho-3, is a missile with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead, allowing for more flexibility in targeting and better anti-ballistic missile (ABM) survivability. In fact with Israel’s submarines and aircraft loaded with nuclear tipped cruise missiles, Israel has a nuclear triad, of land, sea, and air delivered weapons, guaranteeing a credible second-strike capability.
And if that’s not enough deterrence, don’t forget Israel’s homegrown multi-tiered missile defense system, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow-2 and 3, and the Barak-8. The Arrow-3 is not only an anti-ICBM missile, but can be used as an anti-satellite weapon as well. Iron Beam and Drone Dome are laser-interception systems.
Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly, Director of the Missile Defense Agency in the American Dept. of Defense, said in 2009: The design of Arrow-3 promises to be an extremely capable system, more advanced than what we have ever attempted in the US with our programs…This has to do with the seekers that have greater flexibility and other aspects, such as propulsion systems – it will be an extremely capable system. Maybe America can get some Israeli Arrow-3 batteries, to protect themselves against incoming North Korean ICBMs.
The Arrow-3 system was just declared fully operational in January of 2017, but believe it or not, Israel is already developing a concept for a sort of Arrow-4 system, to keep one step ahead of its enemies.Israel’s MAFAT Defense Research and Development Authority of the Ministry of Defense, along with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and other defense firms, are working to evaluate technologies needed to improve the ability to track, target and ultimately destroy future threats, such as massive salvo strikes, sub-munition warheads and multiple reentry vehicles, or MRVs.
Since Yasser Arafat’s declaration of independence in 1988, North Korea has recognized the “State of Palestine’’. To prove the point, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently congratulated North Korea, in honor of the country's Liberation Day. Abbas wished “the Korean people continued stability and prosperity; and that the historical friendly relations between Palestine and North Korea and their two peoples will continue to develop and grow.”
