July 14, 2014

Among them was former domestic intelligence agency director Yuval Diskin

In fact, an Israeli investigative programme said in 2010 an order was issued by Mr Netanyahu to the Israeli military to prepare for a strike on Iran within hours if required, but that the order was cancelled due to strong opposition from Israel's military and intelligence chiefs.
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I think Israel will not attack Iran for many reasons, above all because the United States doesn't want Israel to attack Iran - it's as simple as that”

Yossi Melman Intelligence journalist

A flurry of reports in August 2012 also suggested Israel was preparing a strike before that November's US presidential elections.

At that time though, previous heads of Israel's intelligence establishment publicly declared their opposition, saying an attack on Iran would be unsuccessful and counter-productive.

Among them was former domestic intelligence agency director Yuval Diskin, who expressed the view that bombing Iran's nuclear facilities would only lead it to accelerate its programme.

However, counter-opinion is grounded in precedent, with Israel's bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.

"When we were planning Osirak, we believed the operation would put back [Iraq's nuclear programme] by three or four years," says Dr Shmuel Bar, Director of Studies at the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Herzliya.

"Actually it put it back by 10 years - so you never really know when you shuffle cards what the results are going to be. So from the point of view of criticism that Israel won't do it because Israel can only do so much damage, I think that's a misconception."

Such a result might only be achieved, though, if Mr Netanyahu acts sooner rather than later. Former Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said Iran could reach a "zone of immunity" - the point at which fortification of its nuclear sites would render a military strike ineffective - as soon as spring.
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