An Israeli attack on Iran is suddenly back on the front burner. Threats responding to threats, escalating. You might want nukes too if you heard your neighbor beating these drums. (Thanks to Voskamp.) Washington Times‘ Abraham Rabinovich says the realists in the Israeli cabinet are losing out to hawks:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to execute a 1,000-for-1 prisoner exchange last week despite his frequently voiced opposition to such lopsided deals is seen by several Israeli military commentators as an effort to “clear the deck” before possibly undertaking an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities…
[Ami Oren] noted that Israeli leaders in the past have shown a readiness to absorb “a small loss” in order to attain a greater success, generally involving “some sort of military adventure.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are extremely concerned by the Iranian threat, and Defense Ministry Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs Amos Gilad believes the matter must be a top priority.
“You need to know what issues to prioritize. In my opinion – it’s the Iranian front,” he told students at the Ashkelon College. His statements were made in response to a Yedioth Ahronoth article claiming that Netanyahu and Barak were seemingly pushing for action against Iran.
According to Gilad, Netanyahu “was the first who heard of Iran’s forecasted move on the nuclear missile path and he sees it as a massive threat. The defense minister understands the depth of the threat as well.”
As I wrote on Larry Derfner’s post at 972,
“How is this night different from all other nights”.
The language is the same as its been for 6 years, each week predicted.
Others commented that the nuclear deterrent is meant as a deterrent not to Israel but to the US.
I commented that if that were the case, that Iran is likely regarding Israel as a hostage, in similar manner to Iraq fired large-scale missiles at Tel Aviv in the first Iraq War even though Israel was not a direct party in the war, and similar to Assad announcing last week that if Syria were the target of a NATO operation similar to in Libya, that he would insist of Hezbollah that they rain missiles on Tel Aviv.
Who’s the good guy here?
Nothing like an International Crisis to divert attention from the Palestinian move in the UN and international pressure to engage in bilateral peace talks.
It is better to bomb a far neighbor than make peace with a near neighbor.
Israel missed it’s window to attack Iran. Iran’s biggest threat right now is from the US/Saudi Arabia or from internal strife. The current upheaval in Syria along with Turkey’s acceptance of the NATO radar system has shown that their allies in the neighborhood aren’t what they used to be.
Israel loves war, as long as the US pays for it. Even when we were still bogged down in Iraq and Afghan they were pushing for a third war.
It would not surprise me if Israel attacked Iran before our next election.
2005
Iran was a main focus of this year’s aipac policy conference, which was held in May at the Washington Convention Center. Ariel Sharon and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among others, addressed five thousand aipac members.
One hall of the convention center was taken up by a Disney-style walk-through display of an Iranian nuclear facility.
http://www.jeffreygoldberg.net/articles/tny/letter_from_washington_real_in.php
Umm.. A couple of things, I think need to be mentioned here…
Ynet(same article):
According to a Nahum Barnea article in Yedioth Ahronoth, published on Friday, the heads of the armed forces – Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo, Military Intelligence Chief Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi and Shin Bet Chief Yoram Cohen share the opinion of their predecessors and are opposed to taking action against Iran at this time.
—- I dunno, this seems to be an important fact to add.
Seafoid is right, a military attack probably leads to regional war; I don’t see how the military planners could allow this to happen. Israel, as it is, would be toast in very short order. Charon posted a great recently unclassified CIA article on this topic just the other day – the call up required would put massive stress on the domestic economy. There simply wouldn’t be enough workers.
An aggressive military strike would be illegal, and would more than likely draw the ire of most of the world; this could lead to boycott, refusal of access to ports and markets, Israeli professors and scientists might find themselves not welcome at foreign universities; the US can do alot for the Israeli’s, but the US cant make up for the rest of the world boycotting Israel. The Israeli’s know this.
I think this is alot of posturing – the Israeli’s are putting out the message to the new governments in the region that they are a crazed, “mad dog;” foaming at the mouth, ready for anything.
The idea of Iran “nuking” Israel is itself ridiculous. Where would they “drop it?” People really think the Iranians are going to run the risk of destroying holy sites, making Palestine uninhabitable and creating millions and millions of refugees – just to “kill jews?” That’s nuts.