Saddam lobbed a few SCUDs at Tel Aviv during Gulf Woar 1. But my understanding was that Israel is the outpost of civilisation in the middle east that prevents the entire area being overrun by crazed Muslim hordes, who would immediately topple the Saudi terror-dictatorship and cut off the flow of black stuff to the homeland.

It's all very strategic, I suppose.

Gulf Woar 2, This Time We Mean It™ was simply about pork barrels and oil, with a bit of bone marrow for the mad dogs in the Likud.

But the pork barrels and Woar Death Glory were more than enough to justify Iraq on their own - at least to the impotent old fascists who were running the operation.

If Saddam had been in any danger of developing nukes, Israel would naturally have been a prime target - eventually. But that was never imminent or even particularly likely.

Iran, of course, is a different issue. Iran cannot possibly be allowed to have nukes, because Tel Aviv really would be a possible target.

But that's proliferation for you.