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Bekijk Volledige Versie : Report: Israel seeks removal of F-15 planes from Saudi airport



lennart
03-09-03, 17:03
Report: Israel seeks removal of F-15 planes from Saudi airport
03-09-2003


Israel wants Saudi Arabia to remove dozens of F-15 aircraft from the Tabouk airport, located in the northern part of the Kingdom, not far from the Israeli border, Israel's Army Radio reported Wednesday.

The United States sold the planes to Saudi Arabia several years ago, reportedly with the understanding that the planes would not be placed in Tabouk, so that they would not serve as a "threat" to Israel, the report said.

However, during the war in Iraq, the Saudis moved the planes to the northern part of the Kingdom, in order to distance them from Iraq, and now the Saudis are refusing to remove them.

According to the report, Israel has asked Washington several times to exert pressure on Riyadh to move the planes to distant airports, due to Israeli security assessments that the current location endangers Israel.

Giora Rom, former Israeli attaché in Washington told Army Radio, "Throughout the Saudi Kingdom, Tabouk is the closest airport to Israel.

"And a combat squadron has been positioned there for decades. In the general outline of power relations between Israel and Syria, this airport (Tabouk) is the only one relevant to us". (Albawaba.com)

lennart
09-09-03, 14:43
Israel's top general: Al Qaeda trying to recruit Saudi pilots for suicide missions against Israel
09-09-2003

Israel's Military Chief of Staff warned Tuesday against Al Qaeda attempts to recruit Saudi pilots that would take off from the Tabouk air base, which is relatively close to Israel, with the aim of carrying out attacks such as those committed on September 11, 2001.

According to the Yediot Aharonot daily, army chief Moshe Yaa'lon said Israel was concerned about the possibility that Saudi F-15 pilots, based in Tabouk, would carry out such missions on behalf of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.

Ya'alon told a conference held near Tel Aviv that "From interrogations the United States is conducting with al Qaeda detainees, we know that the network is trying to recruit Saudi pilots to carry out aerial suicide missions against Israel, similar to the September 11 attacks on US cities".

According to Ya'alon, "Such an attack may be carried out by an F-15 plane or a civilian plane originating from the Tabouk air base."

Last week, Israel's Army Radio reported that Israel had asked Washington to pressure Saudi Arabia to remove dozens of F-15 aircraft from the Tabouk air base to distant air bases. Saudi Arabia, however, had denied it was under US pressure to withdraw the fighters. (Albawaba.com)