Hundreds die: Pentagon secret war game runs Israeli strike on Iran

Get short URL

Published time: March 20, 2012 12:48
Edited time: March 20, 2012 21:29

An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites may quickly spiral out of control and result in a large regional war, a Pentagon war game predicts. American casualties would be counted in hundreds at least.

The two-week game held by Central Command called Internal Look played on a scenario in which Israel carried out an air strike on Iranian facilities.

In retaliation Iran strikes both the Jewish state and the American forces in the region. Game results were classified, but according to leaked details Iran managed to sink at least one American warship in the Persian Gulf, killing 200 crew, reports The New York Times. Separate strikes by Israel and the US managed to delay Iran’s nuclear program by just three years.

The simulated conflict escalated into a wider regional war, demonstrating that a possible attack on Iran would likely have uncontrollable consequences. The result has allegedly raised concern among US military and civilian officials who are skeptical of Israel’s ability to deal a serious blow to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

US officials stressed that the exercise was not a rehearsal for American military action. It was rather aimed at testing internal coordination between the Pentagon and various staff in the Gulf region. The simulation also assumed a single scenario, and results of a real conflict may differ, the military said.

The exercise has been held since the Cold War era, when US troops drilled a Soviet offensive in the Middle East. Internal Look was also used to test America’s readiness for the coming invasion of Iraq.