Assuming it does, what happens next?
Mod: Edited title to make it less alarming.
Depends what attacks means…
PR attack?
cyberattack?
covert assasination?
limited airstrike?
Extended airstrike?
invasion?
Limited air strike on some nuclear facilities and other key military installations.
How do planes get back?
Well, Israel has Jericho missiles now, that can hit Iran. They also have submarines equipped with cruise missiles, as well as fighter planes that can carry nukes.
Of course, for aircraft to attack, they must overfly Iraq.
However (IMHO), if Israel does strike, they had better be sure to do a 100% effective job-there will be no second chance. If Iran is left with any offensive capability, the future will be very bad for Israel.
Actually (as was the case in the 1980 attack which destroyed Saddam’s new reactor), most Arab states would immediately denonce Israeli aggression, but privately be relieved.
Yes, the Middle East would be flooded with crocodile tears. All the Arab states would say nasty things about Israel. If done while we still have forces in iraq, they would suddenly wake up and defend Iraq’s air space when Iran tried to retaliate. Even if we are gone, Iraq might still do the same.
They whip up Iranian anger and boost support for the government, while doing little damage since that’s exactly the kind of attack the Iranians have prepared for.
thelabdude:
Better not attack Iran then. Lord knows we wouldn’t want that to happen, so if Israel keeps from attacking Iran, they can prevent that.
This. I can’t imagine they’d actually try it, as opposed to making noises for political reasons.
From what I’ve heard, Allah would smite them.
They certainly don’t seem to be his chosen people are anything.
I think you could expect Hezbollah and Hamas to attack Israel even if no states governments do.
whereas the germans will invade any country that won’t let their troops pass through, the israelis will just have to fly over them.
I believe it was a Saudi minister who said during the first Gulf War, “I would let the devil himself into my airspace if he were attacking Iraq.”
at about the same time an abused asian contractual worker in kuwait said, “i wish saddam would invade kuwait a second time!”
You lost me, there.
don’t sweat it. 
As I posted in the other thread: Russia said attacking Iran would be a mistake.
It’s not like countries in the region are that opposed to it. Well, they don’t want Israel to be the badass/power player, but no one else can seem to manage the elephant in the room. Turkey doesn’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons and neither does Egypt. So I’m not sure what would happen, only that in order for it to happen, Israel would have to have the US support, as well as very grudging quiet and not-overt support from Turkey and Egypt at the least. On the one hand, we act like we don’t want Israel to exert any force in Iran’s direction. On the other hand, we don’t want Iran to have those capabilities. So someone has to do it.
And what I don’t want to think about is what happens if Israel fails. I’m just going to assume that Iran has gotten better at playing hide and seek with its nuclear facilities in my lifetime.
I’m sure the strike would stir the proverbial bees’ nest, but I’m not sure what other option there is. It’s not like diplomacy has worked. All Israel has done is bought itself some time, but diplomacy with Iran was never going to work.
shrug Nukes make strange bedfellows, I guess.
32 years ago it would have been iraq. oh wait…