Keith Johnson: Israel Readies for Iran Attack

A September 23 report by Newsweek journalist Eli Lake reveals that Barack Obama secretly approved the transfer of 55 high-tech bunker-busting bombs to Israel during the early days of his administration. Although this disclosure should come as no surprise, it does demonstrate that tensions between Obama and the Israeli government are nowhere near as bad as some claim, and that that military cooperation between the two countries is as strong as it's ever been. Lake's latest piece raises more questions than it answers. Particularly, why did the US shroud this latest deal in such secrecy, when previous transfers of the same weapon were transacted conspicuously? The bombs identified by Lake are GBU-28 hard target penetrators, clearly projectiles that can be launched from Israel's F-15 fighter jets, and are capable of destroying heavily fortified targets beneath 100 feet of earth or 20 feet of concrete. They were initially deployed by the US for Operation Desert Storm, but used more extensively in the Battle of Tora Bora on caves during the bombardment of Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001 and 2oo2. Delivery of at least some of those weapons was confirmed in July 26, when the Telegraph reported: "Britain has been used as a staging post for major shipments of bunker-busting bombs from America to Israel. The Israelis want the 5,000-pound smart bombs to attack the bunkers being used by Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon."