A Touch Of War
Page 63
“Please do.”
“Colonel, you’re a man of history. Every one of your men are as well. From a soldier’s standpoint and above all, a Jew’s standpoint, I would say its too early to mourn for the world. There’s still so much to do.”
Agreed. Too much in fact.
The intercom spoke. “Captain, the prime minister is on the line.”
“Colonel, I believe that will be for you.”
So much for rest.
Washington, D.C.
The Oval Office
8:52 A.M. EST
“Prime Minister, this is absolute madness. Do you realize the ramifications of what happened to Mecca?”
“Quite aware, Mr. President. There was no alternative. The Muslims, and that’s what I will refer to from now on instead of Iranian or Saudi Arabia, forced our hand and placed priority of battling us against the common good of everyone involved.”
“Words mean nothing now, Prime Minister. The entire Muslim world will want to wage war against both of us. World War III is at hand.”
“We took the actions necessary that were forced upon us…Look, I know we are at a place neither country has ever been before, but you have to see it from my country’s standpoint. We never intended to destroy Mecca. We had every intention of giving it back safe and intact from our occupation. The Muslims decided to attack and violate the terms we set forth. We must realize that destroying Israel took precedent over saving their holiest site. Seriously, if you were in my position, I believe you would see things from a whole different perspective. Remember, this all goes back to Iran detonating an atomic weapon.”
“Let history decide who was right or wrong. I have a country of three hundred and twenty million people that a billion Muslims will say is joined at the hip with Israel. There are dark days ahead for both countries, and I shudder to think what’s in store for us.”
“Mr. President, I understand your grief. But we had no choice. That’s all I can say, we had no choice.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“We’ll have to continue this later. Right now, I’ve got to start planning our next move in the region with my advisors.”
“I will always be available to speak with you. Again, I’m sorry it came to this. But we are not to blame.”
Seth Greene and James Mitchell entered the room.
“Put all forces around the world on alert,” Anderson said.
“Already been done, sir,” Seth Greene replied. “Our biggest concern right now is the force we have at Al-Gehwar. They are surrounded by angry Saudis. The Crown Prince just spoke with General Kohler and said he cannot guarantee that rogue Saudi army units will not attempt to attack us. He also said we failed him as allies, and we could have played a bigger role to stop this catastrophe.”
“James, we find ourselves in trouble. If we stay, we risk attack from the Saudis. If we leave, Israel seems more likely to revert to the nuclear option. What do you recommend?”
“The safest bet right now is to stay. I think the Israelis are still definitely more likely to act if we’re not there.”
“And what of the Suez?”
“The Suez is the next problem. The Egyptians have mobilized several units near the canal that can reach the area in under an hour. Now, they haven’ t moved yet, but we think that’s just a matter of time.”
“If they do?”
“If they shut down the canal, and will not let certain countries such as the U.S. use it, we would be compelled to reopen it by military action. I think more than anything their eyes are on Israel invading the Sinai and taking the canal. That would give them the excuse to control it with military power.”
“Do you think Grozner would invade?” Anderson said, rubbing his chin.
“I think given what happened at Mecca,” Greene continued, “we can’t take anything at just face value with him.”
“Has there been any positioning of Israeli forces in the South?”
“As of our latest satellite photos less than an hour ago, they remain on alert, but not moving.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes,” Mitchell said. “An unknown factor in all this is the Russians. They are still flying in units to an airbase in Southern Syria. Almost like they are going on some sort of maneuvers.”
“Contact Moscow. Tell them we’d like an update on what their plans are in the region for security reasons.”
“They’ll never reveal anything.”
“I don’t expect them to. I just want them to know we’re watching them.”
“It will be done.”
“Guys, my press secretary spoke this morning. The rest of America wants me to chime in soon. I’ve scheduled a speech to the nation at twelve noon. In addition to trying to quell fears, I think it proper that I’ll mention Russia, and that it shouldn’t try to exploit the situation. Speaking of which, that oil field in Iraq still under their control?”
Both Greene and Mitchell nodded.
“Nothing new?”
“Just sitting and watching,” Mitchell said.
Anderson moved his finger on the laptop track pad and selected an icon that showed newsfeeds from various channels. On each, the announcer showed a new picture that was black and white and grainy, depicting a mushroom cloud stretching out over Mecca.