Christina

History of Israeli Nuclear Systems
Federation of American Scientists


Israeli nuclear capabilities center around the Dimona heavy water reactor at the Negev Nuclear Research Center. This facility was built in 1958 with French assistance and currently has the capacity to produce enough plutonium to make five-ten nuclear warheads a year.

"Many analysts believe that Israel maintains a nuclear arsenal that is stored but not armed, requiring some preparation for use. This allows for the oft-repeated mantra that 'Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the region". It is argued that Israel produces and maintains nuclear weapons largely for a deterrent effect- "An A-bomb that is believed to be 'only a screwdriver away' is nearly as effective a deterrent as one openly brandished."



History of the Israeli nuclear activity:
1958- Dimona heavy water reactor and nuclear research facility built secretly with French assistance
1959-1963- Israel imports heavy water from France, Norway, and the United States to start the reactor.
1973- According to some reports, Israeli PM Golda Meir ordered the outfitting of Phantom II aircrafts with nuclear bombs to prepare for strike during the Yom Kippur War. However, these were never deployed, as the war very quickly turned in Israel's favor.
1979- alleged joint Israeli/ South African nuclear test in the Indian Ocean.
1986- photos and descriptions of the secret facility published in London Sunday times by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu, which lead to the speculation that Israel had a stockpile of 100-200 nuclear devices.
1990s Gulf War- Israel's "nuclear posture" shifts- references to potential nuclear attacks become common responses to Saddam Hussein's threats to use chemical weapons against Israel.
2002- "Some speculate that an American attack on Iraq could provoke Hussein to launch a WMD attack on Israel, although his capability to do so is questioned. Such an attack could provoke a nuclear response."
"Iran's progress towards nuclear capability alarms many Israelis... there are rumblings of a conventional preemptive strike."





Delivery Systems for Israeli Nuclear Devices:
Israel possesses several weapons and devices that could be used to deploy and deliver nuclear bombs. They are the following:


1. Land-based Strategic Weapons
a) Jericho-1 short-range ballistic missiles- developed in 1960s with French assistance.
b) Jericho-2 short range ballistic missiles- vastly improved from their predecessors, possibly
developed with South African funding.

2. Air-based Strategic Weapons
a) Phantom II- long-range all-weather air fighters which have now largely been supplanted
by more modern F-16s. Very possibly outfitted with nuclear bombs during the 1973 Yom
Kippur War.
b) F-16 Falcons- Israel is the largest export customer of these American-made aircraft. If
Israel was ever to use nuclear weapons in the future, this is the likely method of delivery.