Israel forecasts “fewer than 300” causalities in war with IranApril 3, 2012 - 15:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli security officials have estimated the number of casualties in Israel as a result of a military conflict with Iran would be fewer than 300, The Guardian reported. An assessment presented to the security cabinet last weekend anticipates three weeks of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon and Syria, as well as probably Iran and – to a limited extent – Gaza, according to reports in the Israeli media. The projected death toll, although significant in a country with a population of 7.8m, is lower than earlier estimates. The Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, last November sought to allay fears of a high number of civilian casualties in a conflict resulting from an attack on Iran. "There's no chance in such a situation for 500,000 killed, not 5,000 or even 500 killed," he told Israel Radio. According to the recent security assessment, Iran's conventional missile capabilities are limited. On other fronts, Hamas has said it will not be drawn into a conflict between Israel and Iran, and Syria's internal turmoil may hamper its ability to engage in an external conflict. However, Hezbollah in Lebanon would be expected to target missiles from its large arsenal towards Israel, which would in turn deploy its Iron Dome anti-missile defence system. Some Israeli politicians have raised concerns about domestic preparations for a conflict, pointing to a shortage of gas masks and bomb shelters. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |