Monday's failure cost an estimated $50 million.
Israel believes Iran is moving forward with a nuclear weapons program and has intensified efforts to isolate Tehran diplomatically.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom again asked his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to help contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Lavrov replied that Russia's nuclear cooperation with Iran was regulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency and did not pose a threat.
The failed launch came during increasingly hostile rhetoric between Israel and Iran, sparked by a successful test-firing of the joint Israel-U.S. Arrow missile defense system in July. A second test last month failed.
Gavin Rabinowitz/Post-Intelligencer 06.Sep.04
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The loss of the satellite is expected to delay Israel's plans for more sophisticated surveillance of long-distance threats, as well as an early warning of the launch of ballistic missiles from enemy territory.
The financial damage as a result of the loss is estimated at $100 million, but what is of greater concern at Israel Aircraft Industries, the maker of the Shavit rocket and the Ofek series of satellites, is that the reputation of its products is damaged on the international market.
Foreign sources said that the Shavit rocket is a development of the Jericho surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
photo: Le Quotidien
"Jour apr�s jour"
Le Nouvel Observateur
Jericho.
Qalqilya.
Qalqilya.
Lawrence of Cyberia
