Iraq Chemical War Threat : Hussein Says He’ll Wipe Out Half of Israel if Attacked : Denies He Is Building A-Bomb

President Saddam Hussein today admitted that Iraq has highly advanced chemical weapons matched only by the superpowers and threatened to destroy “half of Israel” if it attacks his country.

In his first major address since Iraq was accused last week of trying to smuggle U.S.-made nuclear triggers through Britain, Hussein denied that Baghdad is building an atomic bomb.

In a clear reference to Israel, believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, Saddam said: “Those who are threatening us with nuclear bombs, we warn them that we will hit them with these binary chemical weapons.”

“I also say that if Israel dares to hit even one piece of steel on any industrial site, we will make the fire eat half of Israel,” he said.

Saddam claimed that criticism of his country after the incident in Britain was intended to intimidate Iraq and “to pave the way for Israel to attack us.”

Israel condemned Saddam’s comments on chemical weapons.

“It is high time for the civilized world to act in unity and see to it that Mr. Saddam Hussein will not have the possibility to pursue his irresponsible and criminal designs,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Amihud in Jerusalem.

Avi Pazner, a spokesman for Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, said Israel has “no aggressive intention against anyone, including Iraq.”

Asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike against Iraq to neutralize the chemical threat, he said: “We don’t even want to talk about that kind of thing.”

Israeli aircraft attacked and damaged a French-built Iraqi nuclear reactor near Baghdad in June, 1981. Israel claimed that Iraq was using it to develop nuclear weapons. Baghdad denied the charge.

British authorities arrested several Iraqis in London last week as they allegedly tried to smuggle krytrons, or electronic devices used to trigger nuclear weapons, from the United States.

In his first public comment on the arrests, Saddam denied claims that Iraq intended to use the devices for atomic weapons.

He said the devices were “only condensers which we bought for $10,500 and it’s not logical that these could be used in atomic bombs.”

But he defended Iraq’s right to build unconventional weapons.

“I categorically deny that we have any atomic bombs, but let them (Iraq’s critics) hear here and now that we do possess binary chemical weapons, which only the United States and the Soviet Union also have,” he declared.

These weapons contain two relatively safe compounds that are mixed shortly before release to create lethal toxic gases.

It was believed to be the first time that the Iraqi leader has admitted that his country possesses binary weapons.

Hussein said Iraq acquired binary weapons in the final days of the eight-year Persian Gulf war but did not use them against Iran.