WarSclerotic

Netanyahu and Barak steadfast in gearing up for Iran strike | The Times of Israel.

Prime minister and defense minister seemingly unwilling to wait for Washington to back them up

By Times of Israel staff August 10, 2012, 9:52 am

Prime minister and defense minister seemingly unwilling to wait for Washington to back them up

Barak, Gantz, Peres and Netanyahu (from left) during a graduation ceremony of Israeli pilots at the Hatzerim air force base near Beersheba last June. (photo credit: Moshe Milner/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are reportedly gearing up for a strike on Iran in the coming months, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.

Fearing time is running out before the Iranian nuclear program reaches a point of no return in its drive to weaponize, the two may be looking to hit Iran before the US presidential elections in November, a move which could anger the US.

According to the report in Yedioth on Friday, Barak brought up the issue of a strike on Iran during a recent meeting if military chiefs, but faced stiff opposition to a unilateral strike.

The report added that the two are unwilling to rely on Washington protecting Israel from a nuclear Iran, a fact alluded to in a recent speech by Netanyahu, who said only Israel could defend itself.

At the same time, an unnamed Israeli official told Haaretz that the Iranian threat was sharper than that which faced Israel on the eve of the Six-Day War in 1967.

The official, whom Haaretz identified as somebody in a senior position, said Jerusalem would not look to push the US into the war by launching a unilateral strike.

“We will absolutely not deliberately drag the United States into a war,” the official told the paper. “If we decide to undertake an operation, it must be an operation that does not rely on the expectation of igniting some large chain reaction. A country does not go to war in the hope or expectation that another country will join it. Such an act would be an irresponsible gamble.”

Netanyahu is reportedly also steadfast in his commitment to hitting Iran. In a meeting with senior military figures last week, Netanyahu ran up against opposition to a strike. “I’m responsible, and if there’s a commission of inquiry later it’s on me,” he reportedly said, according to a number of the prime minister’s aides.

On Thursday, Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Benny Gantz said the country needed to prepare for war “on multiple fronts.”

While Netanyahu and Barak reportedly prefer the United States lead a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a complex sortie that would require over 100 fighter jets, refueling planes and possible international coordination, they have been increasingly hinting that Israel may have to go it alone.

The US has reportedly been trying to prevent a unilateral strike, which analysts say would prove mostly ineffectual. On Thursday, US National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told reporters that there was still time for diplomacy to work.

The statement came on the heels of a Haaretz report that a recent National Security Estimate showed Iran making marked progress toward a nuclear weapon, which put the report mostly in line with israeli thinking.

A previous NIE, in 2007, reported that iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Iran claims its enrichment drive is for peaceful purposes only. Israel and much of the west challenge that claim.

On Thursday, Barak told Israel Radio that the US was moving closer to Israel’s thinking, but gaps remained between the two on how to move forward.

Nonetheless, he said, Israel would decide for itself on matters, such as thwarting Iran, that affected the security and future of the country.

Earlier in the week, during a tour of the Kerem Shalom crossing, where the IDF thwarted a terror attack, Netanyahu told reporters that it was up to Israel to take care of itself.

“It becomes clear time after time that when it comes to the safety of Israeli citizens, Israel must and can rely only on itself. No one can fulfill this role except the IDF and different Israel security forces of Israel and we will continue to conduct ourselves like that,” Netanyahu said.

Analysts have predicted that an attack on Iran in the run up to US elections would push US President Barack Obama into a corner, as he may be forced to act to avoid looking weak.

This entry was posted on August 10, 2012 at 9:21 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.