Russian units raid Georgian airfields for use in potential Israeli strike against Iran – US intelligence
DEBKAfile September 11, 2009
5 Sept.: The Russians raided two Georgian airfields, which Tbilisi had allowed Israel to use for a potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, after the Georgian offensive against South Ossetia on Aug. 7.
Under a secret agreement with Georgia, the airfields were earmarked for use by Israeli fighter-bombers taking off to strike Iran, in return for training and arms supplies for the Georgian army.
DEBKAfile's intelligence sources report that flying from S. Georgia over the Caspian Sea to Iran would sharply trim the flying time for Israeli fighter-bombers to 3.5 hours.
Northern Iran and the Tehran region, where most of the nuclear facilities are concentrated, would be within range, with no need to request US permission to pass through Iraq air space.
Russian Special Forces also raided other Israeli facilities in southern Georgia and captured Israeli spy drones and other military equipment. DEBKAfile adds: If the Russians got hold of an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle complete with sophisticated electronic reconnaissance equipment, they will have secured some of the IDF's most secret devices for spying on Iran and Syria.
When this happened before, Russian military engineers quickly dismantled the equipment, studied it and passed the technology on to Tehran and Damascus.
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