Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Israel is suspected of producing a nuclear
missile that could strike Russia, a report said.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies asserted that Israel
has produced several missiles designed to contain nuclear warheads. In a
report, the center said the latest missile was believed to have a range of
7,800 kilometers.

“This could hit any target in the Middle East and targets as far away as Pakistan and Russia,” the report, titled “Iran’s Strategic Competition with the U.S. and Arab States — Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Capabilities,” said.

The Israeli missile was identified as Jericho-3, the latest of the
nation’s long-range missiles. The report, authored by Anthony Cordesman, Abdullah Toukan and Alexander Wilner, said Jericho, a three-stage solid-fuel missile, was believed to have entered service as late as 2008.

The report said Jericho-3, never acknowledged by the Jewish state, could contain up to three low-yield nuclear warheads. But the center, in a review of Israel’s nuclear options against Iran, could not determine the veracity of the differing estimates of the Israeli weapon.

“Some reports indicate that Jericho-3 has a radar guided, terminal
homing warhead in addition to inertial guidance, and silo-based with road
and rail mobility,” the report, released in September, said. “No
reliable estimate of its range exists. It may have maximum range of about
7,800 kilometers with a smaller 500 kilogram payload.”

The report said the advent of Jericho-3 led to the Israeli removal of
earlier models. Jericho-1, reflecting 1960s technology and said to have a
range of 500 kilometers, was believed to have been taken out of service
during the 1990s after the production of about 100 units. The missile was
said to have been manufactured by the state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries.

“IAI produced such missiles at its Beit Zachariah facility,” the report
said. “…there were some problems with its guidance systems.”

The two-stage Jericho-2 missile was said to still be in service in the
Israeli military. The report said Jericho-2 was believed to have a range of
up to 1,300 kilometers and capable of delivering a nuclear warhead with
a yield of one megaton.

“It uses a two-stage solid propellant engine with a separating warhead,”
the report said.

  Anthony Cordesman, Beit Zachariah, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Israel Aerospace Industries, Jericho-3, Report: Israel’s secret long-range nuke missile could reach any Mideast target, Russia