The 15 men and women around the table fell silent, nodding to him and each other. "So the orders will be issued immediately. Tomorrow the Ofeq and TecSAR satellites will be permanently repositioned so that the risk of detection of the moves will be avoided, and the submarines will begin operational rotations so that three are constantly positioned for the same reasons. Thank you all for the hard work you have done." He had no need to remind them of the need for secrecy. They understood that this would be the biggest risk their nation had taken since its existence was declared in 1948. 5 September IAF training area 0445 Hours The aircraft appeared suddenly in their binoculars. Even though they knew where to look, the F-15s were impossible to see until they'd slowed from supersonic speed and the smaller F-16s were still a blur. The target was a bunker built 100 feet underground and shielded by 20 feet of steel-reinforced concrete. Though they were standing a mile away, the ground shook from the five bombs' detonations. They hit so quickly, one after another, that the distant rumbling sound was continuous. The IAF general waved, and the vehicles raced toward the impact area. When they arrived, the ground team -- wearing hard hats and face masks -- had already begun measuring the depth and width of the crater. Through the dust cloud, they couldn't see the bottom. "Are we there yet, Ari?" asked the general. The lead engineer -- an old Israeli Air Force pilot -- shrugged in return. "Almost, general. The guidance is almost perfect, the warhead is fine. But the penetrator, well...Maybe in another two or three weeks." "I can't give you more than another two weeks, Ari. If it doesn't work by next Sunday, we need to find another solution." The engineer shrugged again. "Yah, yah, yah. I know." He walked off, gesturing to his team. They had worked 24 hours a day for the past three days. He'd give them a day off before trying again. 22 October Israeli Combined Intelligence Center 1330 Hours "What we learned from their earlier war games you already know. In 2006, it was clear that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Council was in control of not only their military but also the innermost councils of their government. IRGC demonstrated the ability to control simultaneous missile launches from different locations. From 2007 through 2010, their command and control became more sophisticated and now they appear ready to conduct operations from Venezuela to the Persian Gulf." Major General Amos Yadlin's "just the facts" manner and soft speech always had an intended effect on his audience. There were no side conversations, not even the occasional out-burst of black humor. Only silence.