This month, during a visit to the United States, Defense Minister Benny Gantz publicly announced that he had ordered the Israeli Army to prepare for a possible military strike on Iran.īut Israeli experts and military officials say that Israel currently lacks the ability to deal Iran’s nuclear program a knockout blow by air. Early this month, the Mossad chief, David Barnea, said Israel would do “whatever it takes” to stop Iran from making a nuclear bomb. Aviv Kochavi, said large parts of a military budget increase had been allocated to preparing a strike on Iran. In September, the head of the Israeli armed forces, Lt. Israel secretly considered mounting full-scale airstrikes in 2012 before abandoning the plan.īut as Iran’s nuclear enrichment program approaches weapons-grade levels, Israeli politicians have warned in increasingly open fashion what the world has long assumed: that Israel could turn to open warfare if Iran was allowed to make progress toward developing a nuclear weapon, a goal Iran denies. Israel has also waged a shadow war through espionage, targeted assassinations, sabotage and cyberattacks - smaller-scale operations that it has never formally claimed. But a wider effort to destroy the dozens of nuclear sites in distant parts of Iran - the kind of attack Israeli officials have threatened - would be beyond the current resources of the Israeli armed forces. One current high-ranking security official said it would take at least two years to prepare an attack that could cause significant damage to Iran’s nuclear project.Ī smaller-scale strike, damaging parts of the program without ending it entirely, would be feasible sooner, experts and officials say. TEL AVIV - With diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program teetering, Israel’s defense minister has ordered his forces to prepare a military option, warning the world that Israel would take matters into its own hands if a new nuclear agreement did not sufficiently constrain Iran.īut several current and former senior Israeli military officials and experts say that Israel lacks the ability to pull off an assault that could destroy, or even significantly delay, Iran’s nuclear program, at least not anytime soon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |