20-05-09 Iran's missile test is playing with fire,says Israel

Iran celebrated the beginning of its election campaign yesterday with the launch of a new missile capable of reaching Israel and US bases in the Gulf.The stated 2,000km (1,245 mile) range of the surface-to-surface Sejil 2 missile would bolster the amount of medium-range weaponry with which Iran could strike in the region.This raises concerns not only in Israel but among American-allied Arab states such as Saudi Arabia,which are nervous of Iranian regional hegemony after the demise of a Sunni bulwark in Iraq.Israel has raised international concerns by hinting at pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if it is decided that diplomatic overtures cannot stop Tehran building a bomb.Iran has said that it would respond to any raid by attacking Israel and US interests in the region.President Ahmadinejad told a rally in the town of Semnan that Iran could “send to hell” any military base from where “a bullet” was fired against it.Danny Ayalon,Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister,warned that the new missile threatened Europe as well as Israel.“Now it’s clear to all that Iran is playing with fire,” he said