History UsefulNotes / TheSamsonOption

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: "[[TakingYouWithMe Let me die with the Philistines!]]"[[note]][[Literature/BookOfJudges Judges 16:30]][[/note]] Again, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this -- no sense in discussing the usage of a weapon you don't have. This strategic ambiguity serves multiple purposes: it solidifies the Israeli bargaining threat of "help me out or you will suffer" to a larger power that would rather stay out of it by staying neutral via internationally removing (some) control over their own nuclear retaliation response, while not explicitly targeting anyone in particular and garnering resentment with bad PR. The big assumption with this and any nuclear strategy involving mutually assured destruction is that your opponent isn't a DeathSeeker who hates you so much that they ''also'' don't care if they die so long as you do as well.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with the Philistines!"]][[labelnote:*]][[Literature/BookOfJudges Judges 16:30]][[/labelnote]] Again, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this - no sense in discussing the usage of a weapon you don't have. This strategic ambiguity serves multiple purposes: it solidifies the Israeli bargaining threat of "help me out or you will suffer" to a larger power that would rather stay out of it by staying neutral via internationally removing (some) control over their own nuclear retaliation response, while not explicitly targeting anyone in particular and garnering resentment with bad PR. The big assumption with this and any nuclear strategy involving mutually assured destruction is that your opponent isn't a DeathSeeker who hates you so much that they ''also'' don't care if they die so long as you do as well.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]][[labelnote:*]]Judges 16:30[[/labelnote]] Again, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this - no sense in discussing the usage of a weapon you don't have. This strategic ambiguity serves multiple purposes: it solidifies the Israeli bargaining threat of "help me out or you will suffer" to a larger power that would rather stay out of it by staying neutral via internationally removing (some) control over their own nuclear retaliation response, while not explicitly targeting anyone in particular and garnering resentment with bad PR. The big assumption with this and any nuclear strategy involving mutually assured destruction is that your opponent isn't a DeathSeeker who hates you so much that they ''also'' don't care if they die so long as you do as well.

UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica (during UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra, mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected what may well have been a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, not that Russia held up their end of the bargain.[[/labelnote]] Israel...''didn't''.

Any speculation you may hear about quality and quantity of such weapons is likely just that--speculation, although Israeli officials have on several occasions openly admitted to it before retracting the statement. But the fact that Israel has at least one nuclear weapon in its arsenal is sometimes called "the [[OpenSecret worst-kept secret]] in the Middle East". According to historians and biographers of Israeli figureheads, this is completely intentional--as [[Film/DrStrangelove Doctor Strangelove]] will tell you, the nuclear arsenal's purpose is to deter, not to be used. When Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli nuclear technician, disclosed details of his nation's nuclear arsenal to the London Times in 1986, he was imprisoned for treason.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected what may well have been a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, not that Russia held up their end of the bargain.[[/labelnote]] Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected what may well have been a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which [[SarcasmMode did them a lot of good]] during the Crimean Crisis of 2014 (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]] Israel...''didn't''.

Any speculation you may hear about quality and quantity of such weapons is likely just that--speculation, although Israeli officials have on several occasions openly admitted to it before retracting the statement. But the fact that Israel has at least one nuclear weapon in its arsenal is sometimes called "the [[OpenSecret worst-kept secret]] in the Middle East". According to historians and biographers of Israeli figureheads, this is completely intentional--the nuclear arsenal's purpose is to deter, not to be used. When Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli nuclear technician, disclosed details of his nation's nuclear arsenal to the London Times in 1986, he was imprisoned for treason.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]][[labelnote:*]]Judges 16:30[[/labelnote]] Again, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this - no sense in discussing the usage of a weapon you don't have. This strategic ambiguity serves multiple purposes: it solidifies the Israeli bargaining threat of "help me out or you will suffer" to a larger power that would rather stay out of it by staying neutral via internationally removing (some) control over their own nuclear retaliation response, while not explicitly targeting anyone in particular and garnering resentment with bad PR.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]][[labelnote:*]]Judges 16:30[[/labelnote]] However, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this. Part of the problem about mutual assured destruction however is, that it only works if your opponent does not turn out to be a DeathSeeker.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]][[labelnote:*]]Judges 16:30[[/labelnote]] However, as with anything regarding this subject, Israel has never officially confirmed or denied this. Part of the problem about mutual assured destruction however is, that it only works if your opponent does not turn out to be a DeathSeaker.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]][[labelnote:*]]Judges 16:30[[/labelnote]]

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which [[SarcasmMode did them a lot of good]] during the Crimean Crisis of 2014 (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]] Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which [[SarcasmMode did them a lot of good]] during the Crimean Crisis of 2014 (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]]Israel...''didn't''.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]]

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among the former Soviet republics, three, namely Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine, inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which did them a lot of good during the Crimea Crisis (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]]Israel...''didn't''.

Any speculation you may hear about quality and quantity of such weapons is likely just that--speculation, although Israeli officials have on several occasions openly admitted to it before retracting the statement. But the fact that Israel has at least one nuclear weapon in its arsenal is sometimes called "the [[OpenSecret worst-kept secret]] in the Middle East". According to historians and biographers of Israeli figureheads, this is completely intentional--the nuclear arsenal's purpose is to deter, not to be used.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among he former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine all inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{TheGreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which did them a lot of good during the Crimea Crisis (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]]Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club.[[labelnote: note]]Not quite, as among he former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Belarus and most famously Ukraine all inherited nuclear weapons after the [[{{GreatPoliticsMessUp}} dissolution of the USSR]] and voluntarily gave them up (by handing them over to Russia) as sovereign states, in Ukraine's case in exchange for guarantees of its territorial integrity, which did them a lot of good during the Crimea Crisis (when Russia herself blatantly violated those guarantees).[[/labelnote]]Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs), but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] the existence of such weapons when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club. Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs) but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] such weapons' existence when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_Incident Vela Incident]], in which an American satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is suspected to have been a joint Israel-South African nuclear test. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club. Israel...''didn't''.

Any speculation you may hear about quality and quantity of such weapons is likely just that - speculation, although Israeli officials have on several occasions openly admitted to it before retracting the statement. But the fact that Israel has at least one nuclear weapon in its arsenal, if not more, is sometimes called "the [[OpenSecret worst-kept secret]] in the Middle East". According to historians and biographers of Israeli figureheads, this is completely intentional--the nuclear arsenal's purpose is to deter, not to be used.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: [[TakingYouWithMe "Let me die with my enemies!"]]

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[Literature/TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: "Let me die with my enemies!"

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs) but official sources will [[ImplausibleDeniability neither confirm nor deny]] such weapons' existence when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club. Israel...''didn't''.

Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs) but official sources will neither confirm nor deny such weapons existence when asked. Even then, France eventually did impose an embargo against Israel, at which point the Israelis turned to South Africa (during the Apartheid era, 'mind you) to complete the project, jointly developing their nuclear arsenal with South African collaboration. Politics indeed ''do'' make for strange bedfellows. South Africa eventually dismantled their nuclear arsenal, becoming the first, and thus far ''only'' nation to voluntarily exit the Nuclear Club. Israel...''didn't''.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against its enemies, which may not be limited to those nations actually attacking. The name refers to [[TheBible the biblical Samson]]'s last words: "Let me die with my enemies!"

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts have given to Israel's hypothetical deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against nations whose military attacks threaten its existence.

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". In the event that Israel were to face annihilation, they would unleash their nuclear arsenal, not just against their current enemies, but against anyone they see as having had a hand in their demise, such as friends / allies who did not prevent such annihilation, and which might just translate to anyone in range. The exact range of Israel's own missiles is unknown, but since they do have their own space launch capability, it's probably somewhere close to "anywhere on Earth".

The most terrifying aspect of the Israeli nuclear program is the concept of "The Samson Option". In the event that Israel were to face annihilation, they would unleash their nuclear arsenal, not just against their current enemies, but against anyone they see as having had a hand in their demise, which might just translate to anyone in range. The exact range of Israel's own missiles is unknown, but since they do have their own space launch capability, it's probably somewhere close to "anywhere on Earth".