U.S. alerts Israel to plans for Iran, intelligence on Iraq

TEL AVIV Ñ The Bush administration is keeping Israel in the loop both on plans to ease or remove sanctions in Iran and on intelligence findings about Iraq troop and weapons movements.

Israeli officials said they are receiving signals from Washington that the administration is planning to suspend some of the current sanctions on Iran in an effort to help the U.S. energy industry and recruit Teheran for any conflict with neighboring Iraq. The officials said the Bush decision would be seen in August when the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act expires.

The White House, officials said, has relayed assurances to Israel that regardless of any change in policy the United States would continue efforts to block components and technology supplied for Iran's missile and nuclear weapons programs. The issue was discussed last week during talks by a delegation of Sharon envoys with senior administration officials.

Meanwhile, Israel is carefully monitoring Iraq in wake of the U.S. and British air strike on air defenses around Baghdad last week.

The United States is supplying Israel intelligence information on Iraqi troop and weapons movement. Officials said an earlier Israeli military assessment concluded the Jewish state has insufficient information on the Iraqi threat.

Israel has received an additional U.S. Patriot anti-aircraft battery to deal with any threat of Iraqi missile attacks. The improved Patriot is thought to be capable of providing point defense against Scud missiles.

Neither Israel nor the United States has assessed that Iraq will launch immediate attacks against the Jewish state. But Israeli officials warn that Baghdad has developed military ties with Syria and is developing nonconventional weapons.

Iraq is believed to have up to 50 medium-range ballistic missiles that can strike Israel. Officials said Iraq has chemical weapons and is developing biological and nuclear weapons.

Over the weekend, Saddam ordered the formation of 21 military divisions consisting of volunteers who earlier pledged to fight Israel amid its mini-war with the Palestinians.

"We have to take Saddam's threats seriously," Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said. "The danger is not immediate, however. He is building long-range misiles and building biological weapons and aspires to nuclear weapons."

Sneh pointed out that Saddam has twice deployed large concentrations of troops near the Syrian border. The deputy minister said Iraq and Syria are coordinating on military issues.

The Israeli envoys to Washington were told that Jerusalem would not be surprised by any sudden White House decision on Iran.

It is not clear whether the incoming administration of Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon will lobby the administration against the easing of U.S. sanctions. Sharon is said to agree with current Israeli policy that plays down conflict with Teheran.

But other officials, particularly Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, has warned that such a Bush policy would mean that Israel would have to deal with Iran alone. They said easing sanctions on Iran would certainly encourage Russia to continue its accelerated supply of technology to Teheran's strategic programs.

Last month, a U.S. Army brigade arrived in Israel with a Patriot battery. The battery was on high alert over the weekend.

Israel and the United States conducted a Patriot exercise Monday in southern Israel. Israeli officials said the exercise, Juniper Cobra, which will end on Saturday, involves the link between the USS Porter deployed near the Israeli coast in the Mediterranean with Patriot batteries in the Negev desert. The Aegis cruiser has radar that can detect missile attacks. The Patriot battery will also be fired in an attempt to intercept an incoming missile.

"The exercise has been planned for over a year and is part of routine U.S.-Israel training designed to validate the interoperability of the air defense systems," an Israeli military statement said.