HEY, SADDAM, CIRCLE NOV. 30 - WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU By URI DAN and NILES LATHEM
The United States will launch its all-out attack to oust - and kill - Saddam Hussein by Nov. 30, according to a new report.
Israeli military sources, quoted by the respected Israeli newspaper Maariv, disclosed that a U.S. military delegation revealed the outline of the plans in briefings with Israeli and Jordanian military officers.
One visiting U.S. officer told the Israelis that President Bush has decided to kill Saddam, the military sources said.
The American assault will begin with a "massive attack from the air and from the sea," the report said.
In briefing their Mideast counterparts, two U.S. generals said the planned timetable calls for an attack that runs for several weeks - and will not end until Saddam's regime is ousted.
In preparation for the attack, senior American officers have been inspecting U.S. ammunition and spare-parts depots in Israel to determine their condition.
During one of the inspections, according to Maariv's source, an American officer told the Israelis:
"President Bush has decided this time to kill Saddam Hussein, not like in the Gulf War, when his father didn't succeed in doing it."
The latest diplomatic report from the Israeli Embassy in Washington to the Foreign Ministry said the precise timing of the U.S. attack has not been decided, sources told The Post.
It said the Bush administration will resolve the issue "during the next month."
"One should expect President Bush will discuss this issue in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 12," it said.
Pentagon officials last night confirmed that the Israeli military is getting regular briefings about U.S. policy toward Iraq.
"Obviously, we are consulting with our allies in the region, and Israel is certainly a major ally," said one Pentagon official.
But officials refused to confirm the timetable mentioned in the Israeli report, insisting that final decisions on "the hows and whens" have not been made.
U.S. military officials say that despite the ongoing debate in the administration, Congress and among other U.S. allies about whether to strike Iraq, military planners are operating under the assumption that if an attack is ordered, it is likely to take place sometime after the November elections and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends Dec. 3.
The timetable also would allow U.S. forces to operate in cooler weather conditions in the Iraqi deserts.
Speculation about the timing of the anti-Saddam offensive has circulated in Israel for weeks, based on briefings from U.S. officials.
This week, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres advised Israeli officers to "keep a low profile" on the issue and not go into detail when discussing it publicly.
Israel's air force commander, Dan Halutz, was careful two weeks ago when he discussed the timing of the American assault.
"According to what we read and hear, the attack might take place between the end of this year and the beginning of next year," he said.
In a recent briefing by American brass, an Israeli officer asked if Israel will get an early warning of the attack's start - and how it should react if attacked by Scud missiles, as happened in the 1991 Gulf War.
"Israel will be in the picture, will be updated and will get early warnings," one American officer replied, according to Maariv.
"We will make an effort to see that Iraq will not attack Israel. We will try to get as soon as possible to their [Scud] launchers. I hope you will not need to react."
But in the briefing, the Israelis were warned that U.S. intelligence believes Saddam has hidden launchers capable of striking Israel - and has chemical warheads.