When Iraqi Scud missiles landed in Israel during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Israeli officials and analysts recall, Israel depended on sluggish American warnings, U.S. Patriot antimissile batteries failed to stop a single incoming Scud and more Israelis died of heart attacks in the panic to pull on gas masks and seek cover than were killed by the missiles.
Times have changed. On the eve of a widely expected new war against Iraq, Israel is deploying one of the most sophisticated missile defense systems in the world, has its own spy satellite and radar warning system and has created a vast Home Front Command to prepare citizens and medical services for potential attacks.
Even so, military officials acknowledge that the billions of dollars spent on improving readiness in the past decade, including the showcase Arrow missile defense system financed largely by the United States, falls far short of fail-safe protection for the cities and citizens considered most vulnerable to an Iraqi attack.
As a result, Israel has also improved its ability to strike back at Iraq and other potential enemies. In addition to nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missiles, air-to-surface missiles and bombs, Israel is arming three diesel-powered submarines with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Israel has long refused to confirm or deny possession of nuclear weapons, saying it would not introduce them into the Middle East. But Issam Mahoul, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, said last year that Israel has up to 300 nuclear devices. Foreign arms monitoring groups and think tanks have cited similar figures ranging from 250 to 400 devices.
Times have changed. On the eve of a widely expected new war against Iraq, Israel is deploying one of the most sophisticated missile defense systems in the world, has its own spy satellite and radar warning system and has created a vast Home Front Command to prepare citizens and medical services for potential attacks.
Even so, military officials acknowledge that the billions of dollars spent on improving readiness in the past decade, including the showcase Arrow missile defense system financed largely by the United States, falls far short of fail-safe protection for the cities and citizens considered most vulnerable to an Iraqi attack.
As a result, Israel has also improved its ability to strike back at Iraq and other potential enemies. In addition to nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missiles, air-to-surface missiles and bombs, Israel is arming three diesel-powered submarines with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Israel has long refused to confirm or deny possession of nuclear weapons, saying it would not introduce them into the Middle East. But Issam Mahoul, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, said last year that Israel has up to 300 nuclear devices. Foreign arms monitoring groups and think tanks have cited similar figures ranging from 250 to 400 devices.
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