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Israel Attack on Iran Runs Risk of Massive Missile Retaliation

Uzi Rubin, the founder and first director of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, tells Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin that he believes if Israel attacks Iran, the Israeli heartland could face retaliation from more than 10,000 missiles based in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers playing the roles of mock victims lie on the ground during a drill simulating a missile attack in Holon near Tel Aviv November 3, 2011. Israel staged a mass drill on Thursday, simulating a missile attack in the centre of the country at a time of intense speculation that the Jewish state could launch strikes on Iran, although the military dismissed any link. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

If Israel attacks Iran, the Israeli heartland could face retaliation from more than 10,000 missiles based in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, according to Uzi Rubin, the founder and first director of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization.

Rubin, speaking Thursday (Aug. 16) before the Middle East Studies department of the US Marine Corps University in Quantico, Va., said it was “above his pay grade” to say whether or not it would be wise for Israel to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. However, in a detailed presentation of the threats Israel faces and in an interview afterward with Al-Monitor, Rubin made his reservations about the repercussions of such an attack clear.

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