MORDECHAI SAYS IRANIAN MISSILE CANNOT REACH ISRAEL AT CURRENT STAGE
ISRAEL LINE FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1998
Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai said on Thursday that to the best of his knowledge, the missile tested by Iran on Wednesday is not yet capable of reaching Israel, YEDIOT AHARONOT reported.
According to the newspaper, the test indicates that the Iranian missile program is progressing ahead of schedule. Sources in Israel estimate that Israeli-American efforts may slow Iran's arming process and limit the number of warheads it obtains, but will not be able to halt the Iranian weapons buildup completely.
Israel hopes that following the test, Europe and the United States will change their approach toward Iran. Dr. Uzi Arad, political adviser to the Prime Minister, who has been coordinating with the Americans on the Iranian issue, said on Thursday that "the Government and the Prime Minister had already identified Iran's missile capability as an imminent threat 18 months ago."
HA'ARETZ reported that the Iranian test was confirmed by a senior Iranian official, who said that the Shahab-3 missile, with a 1,300 kilometer range, can strike Israel and Saudi Arabia and may change the military and political balance in the Middle East.
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