Israel-Iran tensions have boiled over. Israel made a wide-scale aerial attack on Iran last week against what it describes as nuclear threats. Israel maintains that Tehran is on the brink of a nuclear weapon while Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, and following Islamic doctrine.
The Unspoken Arsenal
Israel has not admitted to owning nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, most experts believe it does. The Dimona Plant, constructed with the help of France in the 1950s, is central to its nuclear programme. Israel had supposedly finished its initial functional warhead by the late 1960s.
Estimates differ, but Israel is said to possess 90 to 400 nuclear warheads. It maintains more than one delivery system: aircraft, long-range Jericho missiles, and submarine-based cruise missiles.
This gives it a special position as the sole nuclear-armed country in the Middle East, although it still insists it will “not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons” in the region.
In contrast to Iran, Israel has not ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This enables it to keep strategic ambiguity, a strategy that protects it against the intense global pressure Iran is subject to.
The Samson Option: Israel’s Doomsday Deterrent
Israel’s most radical nuclear policy is referred to as the “Samson Option.” It’s named after the biblical character Samson, who destroyed a temple killing himself and his enemies. The policy indicates that Israel might employ nuclear weapons as a last line of defence — if its existence is threatened.
Though Israel has never officially acknowledged the policy, military analysts believe it’s real. Reports claim Israel nearly activated this option during the Six-Day War in 1967, considering a nuclear strike on Egypt to deter advancing Arab forces.
Will Israel Use it?
With Iran in the crosshairs and top officials threatening retaliation, nuclear escalation cannot be ruled out. Iran has threatened a “harsh response” to Israel’s attacks. Israel, however, is mum on its nuclear policy, thus provoking speculation.
Whether or not the Samson Option becomes a reality, or remains as a threat, nuclear war hangs precariously in the balance. For Iranians and Israelis alike, and the whole region, this is a perilous turning point.
The world holds its breath, praying it doesn’t see the unthinkable.
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